THE PERCENTAGE OF IMPORTED TB CASES IN CYPRUS IS WELL ABOVE THE EU AVERAGE - WHAT A EUROPEAN REPORT SAYS - Filenews 24/3 by Marilena Panayi
Cyprus has a ratio lower than the European average in terms of the number of tuberculosis cases per 100,000 inhabitants. However, our country recorded an increase in new cases in 2022, following the increasing trend recorded in other European countries after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The relevant data are recorded in the report released yesterday by the European Center for Infection Control (ECDC) on the occasion of today's Tuberculosis Day.
According to the relevant report, Cyprus is consistently among the countries with a low incidence of the disease.
In 2024, approximately 5.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded in Cyprus. That is, an incidence significantly lower than the European Union average, which is estimated at 8.4 cases per 100,000 population.
Cyprus is ranked in the same category as states such as Sweden, Finland, Slovenia and Malta.
One of the most characteristic findings of the report concerns the origin of the incidents. In Cyprus, more than 85% of diagnosed TB cases involve people from other countries. In the same category as Cyprus are: Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta and Norway.
This percentage is one of the highest in Europe. In the EU, the figure is 37.6%.
Particularly important is the fact that in Cyprus, in 2024, no cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis were recorded.
At the European level, the overall picture of tuberculosis remains controlled but geographically uneven. In 2024, 38,249 cases were recorded in 30 EU/EEA countries, with the largest epidemiological load concentrated in Romania and the Baltic countries, such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In these areas, both higher rates of disease and a higher incidence of resistant forms of tuberculosis are observed.
The report points out that the success rate is only 64.2%, and is well below the target of 90% set by the World Health Organization.
