The decrease in the incidence rate of tuberculosis in Portugal continued in 2022, standing at 13,4 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, «a reduction that has been consistent over the last six years», announced today the Directorate-General for Health .
Despite this, Portugal “remains one of the European countries with an incidence above 10 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants”, according to data from the most recent Tuberculosis Surveillance and Monitoring Report in Portugal, published by the National Tuberculosis Program (PNT ) from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
The Lisbon and Tagus Valley region and the North region remain those with the highest incidence, with 17,8 and 15,8 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, respectively.
Men continue to be more affected than women (65,7% of total cases reported in 2022), especially in adulthood.
In 2022, 3,3% of total cases occurred in children and adolescents under the age of 15. The incidence rate in the age group of children from 0 to 5 years old was 6,1 cases per 100 thousand children.
The immigrant population remains a population in a situation of greater vulnerability, with an increase in the proportion of cases, compared to 2021 (30,1% in 2022, compared to 25,9% in 2021).
The number of days until diagnosis remained high in 2022 (82 days), although with a reduction in relation to the value in 2021 (86 days).
The DGS, through the PNT, points out the «need to accelerate the annual percentage reduction to achieve the international targets for a 2015-2035 reduction of 95% in the number of deaths related to tuberculosis and 90% in the tuberculosis incidence rate» .
Ensuring universal health coverage for tuberculosis, with quality, integrated and patient-centered healthcare, as well as strengthening strategies that promote early diagnosis of tuberculosis and the systematic tracing of contacts and groups at greater risk, are the intervention priorities, highlights the DGS.
In this sense, the DGS, together with the entities of the National Health Service, presents this Friday, in Lisbon, its guiding document for the reorganization of the Pneumological Diagnostic Centers.
The PNT/DGS assumes that «priority strategies are to concentrate serious and complex patients in reference tuberculosis consultations, improving the prognosis and reducing morbidity and mortality».
Strategies also include “the promotion of tuberculosis training actions aimed at communities and health professionals, and the articulation between the different levels of health care – public health, primary health care and hospital care – for better effectiveness and respect for the citizen involved», concludes the DGS.
World Tuberculosis Day is next Sunday, March 24th.
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