LONDON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A British opposition party is warning London has become the tuberculosis capital of the western world, a report said Monday.
The Labor government is also on the defensive over plans for health tests for all new asylum seekers, SkyNews reported.
In a consultation paper, the Conservatives set out plans for compulsory screening of all new immigrants and asylum seekers before they are allowed to stay in Britain.
Health spokesman and medical doctor Liam Fox said the tests would stop people coming to Britain simply for free health care, draining the resources of the National Health Service, as well as help cut levels of infectious diseases brought to the country from overseas.
"We now have higher rates of (tuberculosis) in London than in places such as Azerbaijan. It's becoming quite a frightening problem."
The move follows the announcement by the Labor government it intends to clamp down on so-called "health tourists" who come to Britain specifically to receive free hospital treatment.
