Vaccinations, given nationwide to children in their early teens, have been suspended because of production problems.

The government is currently hoping that the immunisation programme will re-start early in the New Year.

The British Lung Foundation says that as long as there is no further delay, there should be no risks to health.

However, Dr John Moore-Gillan, a spokesman for the Foundation, and a TB expert at a London Hospital, said that it was a "significant problem".

He said: "A delay of a few months is certainly not a major problem, but if it were to be delayed for a longer period, it would be a matter of concern.

"It reflects the low priority that TB has been given over the past few years. It was thought to be a disease of the past, when it fact it isn't."

TB on the rise

There has been a resurgence of TB in the UK, particularly in the inner city and among deprived populations.

Dr Moore-Gillan said: "TB has never gone away and unfortunately it's coming back - in some parts of London TB rates are roughly double what they were a decade ago."

He said it was important that the population in general was aware of the risks of TB.

It is estimated that one in three of the world's population carries the TB bacterium, although only one in ten of those will ever become ill.

It often preys on those whose immune system is weakened by other infections, such as the HIV virus, or by poor diet and living conditions.

The respiratory symptoms and fever it causes can be treated by a lengthy course of antibiotics.