Introduction and objectives: Screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in close contacts of infectious TB cases might include Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRA), in combination or as single-tests. In Portugal, the screening strategy changed from TST followed by IGRA to IGRA-only testing in 2016. Our objective was to compare the cost-effectiveness of two-step TST/IGRA ...
In 2017, the notification rate of tuberculosis in the Northern Region of Portugal was 21.1 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. According to the National Tuberculosis Programme Surveillance System (SVIG-TB), poly-resistance to isoniazid and streptomycin (PR-HS) represented 2.6–5% of the cases notified in the Northern Region between 2009 and 2017 Although they represent a relatively low proportion of cases in Portugal...
BACKGROUND: Despite the steady decline in the last few decades, Portugal remains the Western European country with the highest TB notification rates. The aim of this study was to estimate the completeness of notification to the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) Surveillance System (SVIG-TB) in 2015. METHODS: We implemented an inventory study and a three-source log-linear capture-recapture analysis using two...
Introduction: People over 65 years old are expected to be an increasing group exposed to abuse. Despite the well-studied intra-familial abuse, institutional abuse still lacks a proper understanding about its determinants and characteristics. Aim: The general objective of this study is to provide a better knowledge about physical abuse against elderly people in institutional settings, in order to contribute to a...