British scientists claim major advance in TB treatment

A team of British scientists have made a major breakthrough in the treatment and diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Researchers in Birmingham and Oxford have been able to use genome sequencing to isolate different strains of the disease, which means patients who might have waited months to get the right drugs can now be diagnosed in little more than a week.

Public Health England said it is the first time the technique has been used on this scale anywhere in the world.