The government has unveiled an action plan against tuberculosis which specifically targets asylum seekers, drug users and prisoners.

The proposals do not include compulsory screening at airports but they aim to tighten up existing measures and introduce ways of detecting people with TB.

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, launching the strategy, said: "Compulsory screening is not a consideration at the moment. Our policy is to identify people from high prevalence countries as they enter."