There has been a “levelling off” of cases of tuberculosis (TB) in recent years, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said, amid warnings the State was going to miss its target of eliminating the disease by 2030.
TB is a serious, contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs, but which can also attack other organs such as the kidneys, spine or brain.
It spreads through the air when people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, is usually treated with antibiotics and can be fatal without treatment.
Latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) show there were 287 TB cases notified last year, corresponding to an incidence rate of 5.6 per 100,000 population.
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Among TB cases notified last year, six were reported as fatal. The highest age-specific incidence rate observed was among those aged 25 to 34 years old at 11 per 100,000 population.
Last year’s figure is a slight decrease on the number notified in 2024 when there were 289 cases.
In recent years, the figure has been increasing, standing at 208 in 2022 and rising to 224 in 2023.
The 2024 figure was the highest number of cases since 2018, with the HPSC acknowledging the Covid pandemic “adversely impacted” TB control globally and in Ireland.
“To achieve the internationally applicable WHO End TB target of an 80 per cent reduction in TB incidence between 2015 and 2030, an annual decrease in new TB notifications of 6 per cent is needed in Ireland,” a HSE spokeswoman said, referring to the World Health Organisation’s End TB Strategy.
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“It will be difficult to eradicate TB, but the challenges are not insurmountable. Currently, the number of new cases of TB is above what we need to be to achieve the elimination targets.”
The HSE acknowledged the stabilisation of cases between 2024 and 2025 but said it remains concerned.
“The plateau at this elevated level remains concerning in light of the End TB targets, but there has been a levelling off of new cases in recent years,” it added.
In 2024, the HSE published Striving to End Tuberculosis: a Strategy for Ireland 2024-2030, Ireland’s first national TB strategy. It outlined six priorities: social determinants; prevention; detection; treatment and care; workforce planning; and understanding TB.
Globally, a total of 1.23 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) in 2024, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organisation.
“Globally, TB is the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and among the top 10 causes of death,” the international health watchdog said.
It added that prisoners, migrants and socially marginalised people are particularly vulnerable to TB because of the increased exposure associated with their living conditions.
