DGS confirms two cases of leprosy in Portugal between March and April

This Thursday, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) reported that between March and April, two imported cases of Hansen’s disease, better known as leprosy, originated in Brazil.

In a response to Lusa, without specifying the place of registration, DGS speaks of two cases in Portugal in recent months that “concern people from Brazil.”

“The cases were reported in the context of clinical suspicion and in the context of origin from endemic areas where appropriate treatment had already been initiated,” the DGS guarantees.

RTP reported this morning that a case of leprosy has been confirmed in Porto.

At stake is a patient who contracted the infection in Brazil less than a month ago.

Lusa requested clarification from the Northern Regional Health Authority, which did not provide information.

The Ricardo Jorge National Institute of Public Health (INSA) sent it to DGS.

On Wednesday, Madeira health officials also reported that an imported case of leprosy from Brazil had been confirmed in the region.

The note, released by the Regional Directorate of Health (DRS) of the Madeira archipelago, states that it was an adult woman living in the autonomous region since January 2022.

The island’s health authorities explained that the disease “does not spread easily, so it does not involve isolation” and indicated that “treatment is very effective and prophylaxis is recommended only in cases of very close and prolonged contact.”

However, in today’s response to Luce, DGS recalls that Brazil is a country where the disease “is still endemic with a few cases each year.”

“The disease has been eradicated in Portugal and the cases reported each year are always imported, with an average of two to six cases per year. DGS will continue to monitor the situation without changing the profile of imported cases,” concludes the health authority.