Students in Leicester screened for tuberculosis

Students in Leicester are being screened for tuberculosis Credit: ITV Central

Around 250 students at Hamilton Community College in Leicester are being screened for tuberculosis after three pupils were diagnosed with the disease.

According to Health Protection Agency figures, Leicester has the fourth highest rate of cases in the country, with only three London Boroughs having higher rates.Dr Philip Monk, communicable diseases consultant for the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the East Midlands, said Hamilton Community College was the third school in the city where cases of TB have been identified so far this academic year.

Testing is routine because Leicester is a "hotspot" for TB.