Increase in Tuberculosis Cases Among Young People in the EU

Lisbon – The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported a 10% rise in tuberculosis cases among children under 15 in the European region for 2023 compared to the previous year. In a joint statement with the World Health Organization (WHO), the entities emphasized the “concerning increase” in pediatric tuberculosis, which represented 4.3% of all recorded cases within the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) nations.
They warned that the growing number of tuberculosis cases among children indicates that transmission remains active in the region, necessitating urgent public health interventions to manage and mitigate the escalating burden of the disease.
According to the 2025 surveillance report, there has been a total increase of over 650 cases among younger populations between 2022 and 2023.
The ECDC and WHO also voiced significant concern that in 20% of child cases, there is insufficient information regarding whether treatment was completed. This uncertainty could lead to the development of drug-resistant tuberculosis and further transmission.
The most recent data from the 2025 report suggest that while the European region is recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, its aftermath continues to affect testing, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tuberculosis.
In 2023, the WHO European region, which includes Europe and Central Asia, recorded over 172,000 new and recurrent tuberculosis cases. Within the EU/EEA, nearly 37,000 new diagnoses were made, an increase from 35,000 the previous year.
The ECDC and WHO noted the persistent challenge of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the region, with treatment success rates for patients falling significantly short of expectations.
In Portugal, 1,584 tuberculosis cases were reported in 2023, maintaining a notification rate of 14.9 cases per 100,000 people. The Lisbon and Tagus Valley, along with Northern regions, displayed the highest incidences.
According to data from the Directorate-General of Health (DGS), released on World Tuberculosis Day, 1,461 of the reported cases were new, and 123 were retreatments.
Tuberculosis is primarily an infectious disease spread through the air, transmitted via droplets expelled by an infected person while coughing, speaking, or sneezing. (24/03/25)