resurgence of the scourge.

Yesterday it was revealed there were cases in Bermuda -- with the number apparently on the increase.

And doctors have warned AIDS sufferers and drug addicts are most at risk.

Tuberculosis was once feared as a mass killer -- in the 19th and early 20th Centuries it claimed about one billion lives.

Spurred on by AIDS it is now making a comeback, ending years of triumph following the discovery of a cure.

TB is striking back with a special vengeance against the poor, overcrowded, and underfed.

Large cities are particularly vulnerable to the highly contagious affliction.

But Bermuda -- once thought to be virtually TB-free -- is also at risk, health experts warn.

Yesterday Mrs. Elaine Harrington, executive secretary of the Bermuda TB Cancer & Health Association, said people should open their eyes to the disease.

The group's figures revealed a slight increase in recent years.

In 1990 one person was treated, while the following years saw the number rise to three and four respectively.

This year two people so far have been treated -- one of whom could be suffering from AIDS.

"The other, however, is definitely not,'' said Mrs. Harrington.

She emphasised her figures probably did not give a total picture of the problem.

"We only dispense the medication,'' she explained.

Mrs. Harrington said there were effective antibiotics to combat tuberculosis -- a "reportable'' disease because it is contagious.

One antibiotic, ramactane -- costing about $100 a bottle -- could make the disease non-contagious after a week, she added.

Mrs. Harrington said TB symptoms included fatigue, loss of weight, persistent cough, and night sweats.

Yesterday Bermuda's acting pathologist and haematologist Dr. Reinhard Lohmann said doctors everywhere were on the alert over tuberculosis.

And there was natural concern over its comeback.

"I happen to know that people who have AIDS are routinely tested by skin tests.'' Dr. Lohmann said people with drug and alcohol problems were also vulnerable.

"There seems to be a resurgence worldwide. In Canada it could not be called an epidemic, but 10 years ago it was thought to be virtually eradicated.'' He added: "We are all that much more aware of it now. For instance, if someone has a fever we are more ready to check for tuberculosis.'' Dr. Lohmann said there were many different strains of TB, but there were established treatments for them.

One Bermudian doctor, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday: "I can confirm we are all aware of an increase in numbers of TB cases.

"It seems to be AIDS patients that are particularly affected.'' The doctor, however, said there was no need for Bermudians to get over alarmed.

Government Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said he was unprepared to comment "without all the facts and figures'' before him.

He said he would be prepared to discuss the issue today.

Tuberculosis, brought on by bacteria, owes it name to the tubercles, or abscesses that formed where the germs took root.