IT was with dismay I heard yesterday that, after cases in Leicester and London, tuberculosis had been diagnosed at a Worcester School.

In the late 1930s, both my maternal grandparents died from this dreadful disease. My mother's sister, who nursed her parents through their illness, also fell victim to TB. In turn, my mother, who nursed her sister, became yet another victim. After many years spent in and out of hospital, she died in 1953, at the age of 44.

In the late 1950s, the widespread use of antibiotics, mass screening and vaccination virtually eradicated tuberculosis from Britain.

The present worrying epidemic has, I feel sure, been brought in from the Indian sub-continent and parts of Africa where tuberculosis is rife. I'm well aware that this statement may brand me as prejudiced, but this is not the case.

Although born and brought up in Worcester, I married an English expatriate.

In the 1970s, we were posted to Karachi, Pakistan. It was company policy that all staff, including house servants had an annual medical.

As a result of one of these examinations, it transpired that one of our staff had only one kidney - and tuberculosis.

He was a timid man and I knew that if he went to seek treatment, he would be pushed to the back of the queue and fobbed off.

So I took him to the hospital where we were seen by the local consultant.

I explained the problem and gave the doctor the X-rays and medical report.

"What is this man to you?" he asked, obviously quite puzzled.

"He works for me," I explained. After a brief chat to this man in Urdu, the doctor turned to me and said: "But this man is only a sweeper - just turn him out on the street, we cannot be wasting our time with such people". This from one of his own countrymen!

I refused to leave until our employee had an appointment with both the renal and chest clinic.

In the 1980s, we were posted to Australia and, before we could be issued with work permits, we had to undergo a very rigorous medical including chest X-rays to determine whether we were TB-free.

We happily obliged.

If the UK and the World Health Organisation, financially supported by the developed nations, introduced a world-wide infant vaccination programme maybe we could get this dreadful scourge eliminated once and for all.

V CRANE,

Worcestershire.