Madeira has recorded around 13 cases of tuberculosis since the beginning of the year, including four recently reported in Câmara de Lobos. The Regional Health Authority says the figures remain within the usual range.
Speaking at a press conference this morning at Bom Jesus Health Centre, Susana Gonçalves, of the Regional Health Authority, said approximately 65 cases had been diagnosed in Madeira between 2020 and 2026. This year’s figures, she explained, do not represent an unusual increase.
The four patients in Câmara de Lobos are being monitored and are no longer infectious. All are Madeiran, aged between 30 and 50, and have pulmonary tuberculosis. Three belong to the same family, while the fourth is unrelated.
Gonçalves said most of the cases were diagnosed in June, although some patients had experienced symptoms since April. She explained that the disease’s slow progression can make diagnosis difficult. Although the situation is considered under control, further cases could emerge among people who have been in contact with the patients.
Health teams are identifying and assessing family, social and workplace contacts to determine who requires screening. Gonçalves urged anyone contacted to attend the recommended examinations and follow any prescribed treatment. Screening begins with a questionnaire to identify signs and symptoms, followed by a chest X-ray. A tuberculin skin test or an IGRA blood test may also be used to check for an immune response to the bacteria.
Gonçalves explained that a positive result does not necessarily mean someone has active tuberculosis. They may have latent tuberculosis infection, meaning they are infected but have not developed the disease. Preventative treatment may be recommended to reduce the risk of active disease developing.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs, although it can affect other organs. It spreads through the air when someone with infectious pulmonary tuberculosis releases bacteria by coughing, speaking, or sneezing.
On vaccination, Gonçalves said BCG is particularly effective at protecting children against severe forms of tuberculosis, including tuberculous meningitis, while protection against pulmonary tuberculosis is more limited.
She declined to identify the parish where the four cases were recorded, saying the priority was to monitor patients and ensure contacts were screened.
Asked whether the cases constituted an outbreak, Gonçalves said the epidemiological investigation was continuing. Links between tuberculosis cases can be established over a prolonged period, with a diagnosis potentially connected to another made up to two years earlier.
The full extent of any connection between the cases will become clearer as the investigation progresses.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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