Amazon is carrying out tuberculosis (TB) testing at its Coventry fulfilment centre after a small number of workers were found to have the infectious lung disease.
The company confirmed that screening is taking place as a precaution, following the identification of several cases at the site, which employs around 2,000 people, according to the GMB union.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) began a targeted screening programme at the warehouse in September after a handful of workers were diagnosed with active, contagious TB last year. Amazon said that a further 10 employees subsequently tested positive for latent TB towards the end of 2025.
Latent TB means the bacteria are present in the body but the individual does not have symptoms and cannot pass the disease on. However, without treatment, latent TB can later develop into an active and infectious form.
Dr Roger Gajraj, a consultant in health protection at UK Health Security Agency, said the individuals identified with active TB were responding well to treatment and were no longer infectious.
“As a precaution, and in line with national guidance, we are offering testing to those who may have had closer contact with the affected individuals,” he said. “The overall risk remains low. TB is fully treatable with antibiotics, and we continue to work closely with Amazon to monitor the situation.”
Amazon said it had acted immediately after the initial cases were discovered. A spokesperson said: “We followed guidance from the NHS and UKHSA and made all potentially affected employees aware of the situation. Out of an abundance of caution, we are now running an expanded screening programme with the NHS. Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our team members.”
However, the GMB union has called for stronger measures. Amanda Gearing, a senior organiser for the union at the Coventry site, urged “immediate and decisive action”, including the temporary closure of the warehouse until infection control measures are fully in place.
The union said NHS staff attended the site this week to carry out blood tests on workers and that multiple cases had been reported. One employee told union representatives there were concerns that some migrant workers could be more vulnerable if they had not received TB vaccinations in their countries of origin.
Coventry City Council said it was encouraging residents to remain alert to symptoms amid a broader national rise in TB cases. A council spokesperson said: “TB testing and treatment is free to everyone on the NHS, regardless of immigration status. Anyone experiencing symptoms should contact their GP or NHS 111 without delay.”
Common symptoms of tuberculosis include a persistent cough lasting more than three weeks, fatigue, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. The disease spreads through prolonged close contact with someone who has active TB.
According to government data published in October, TB notifications rose by 13.6 per cent in 2024 to 5,490 cases, bringing the UK close to the World Health Organization’s threshold for a low-incidence country.
The Coventry warehouse has previously been the focus of industrial unrest, with Amazon narrowly defeating a union recognition vote at the site in 2024.
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Amazon tests Coventry warehouse staff for tuberculosis after outbreak
