A campaign warning about the threat from tuberculosis will step up a gear next month.

The charity TB Alert, set up in 1998, is organising a series of TB awareness weeks, in association with Rotary Clubs across Britain and Ireland.

In Wallingford, a week-long poster campaign is to start on October 1.

Ed Evans, of Wallingford Rotary Club, said: "We're arranging an eye-catching display in the windows of Hedges solicitors, in Market Place."

Tuberculosis, or TB, is on the increase, particularly in London. It infects about 20 Britons a day, and even with the best medical attention is fatal in about five per cent of cases.

It is caused by bacteria and transmitted like the common cold. Most people get it through breathing infected droplets coughed up by others. Symptoms include persistent coughing, weight loss, night sweats and fever.

Chairman of TB Alert, Paul Sommerfeld, said: "People need to be more aware of TB, and should mention it to their doctor if they have symptoms. One problem is that our doctors aren't used to seeing TB.

"Often the first thing they think is that the patient simply has a nasty cough or viral infection, and months can go by."

The BCG vaccine is given to children in the UK at the age of 14 to combat the disease. It protects about 80 per cent of those who receive it for about 15 years. Revaccination has limited effect.