In the UK, after a century of declining incidence, over the past 20 years numbers of cases of active TB have increased substantially. This increase has occurred almost exclusively in individuals born outside the UK. GPs represent the first point of contact with health services for most patients, and it is crucial that GPs are aware of the clinical features of active TB, and that diagnosis can frequently be made using simple and inexpensive tests such as chest X-rays and sputum samples. There is a major focusin the UK on raising awareness of TB in frontline medical staff, through the activities of bodies such as the charity TB Alert, and the Department of Health’s National Knowledge Service TB Project At a local level, information and advice can readily be obtained through the local TB nursing service.