Prevention and control of turberculosis in vulnerable populations of an urban center of northern Portugal

Summary:

Tuberculosis (TB) is known to be associated with socioeconomic inequalities. Knowing that Portugal is nowadays facing a particularly serious situation concerning financial sustainability, and given the current lack of knowledge on the local molecular epidemiology of TB, we believe it is both timely and pertinent to launch this proposal, aiming at decrease TB-associated morbidity and mortality. We will address two vulnerable groups in an urban center in the north of Portugal – the homeless and the HIV-infected patients – with the goals of establishing an active screening strategy for early TB diagnosis and treatment, as well as identifying specific risk factors for TB development. Moreover, we will proceed with the genotype of all Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolation in the area and complement that epidemiological information with a geographical information system. We expect to gain insight into the Mtb association with clinical/demographic features, and geographic perspective of the existing outbreaks’ dynamics.