New figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE) show 368 people in Ireland developed tuberculosis (TB) last year. That is the lowest rate of the disease since TB surveillance began in 1998.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has released the statistics to mark World TB Day on Sunday. Health chiefs are welcoming the decline but warn we must remain vigilant as cases of the disease continue to occur.

Symptoms to watch out for include fever and night sweats, a cough that lasts more than 3 weeks weight loss and bloody phlegm.

Fall over recent years

Anyone can get TB but high-risk categories include people from countries with high levels of TB, people with weakened immune systems, people who have been in contact with a case of TB, homeless people and drug users.

Assistant national director of health protection is Dr. Kevin Kelleher. "If someone has a reason to think that they might have TB, they should tell this to their doctor. Healthcare professionals should also be aware of the possibility of TB as a diagnosis when patients present with these symptoms" he said.

In Ireland rates of TB have declined in recent years. 420 cases (9.2 cases per 100,000) were reported in 2010, 424 cases (9.2 cases per 100,000 ) were reported in 2011 and 368 cases ( 8 cases per 100,000) were reported in 2012.

This decline is considerable when compared to the 1990s with 604 cases reported in 1992. The decline has been even more considerable since the early 1950s when 7,000 cases of TB were notified per year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that globally there were 8.7 million new cases of TB in 2011.