FARO IS among the districts in Portugal with the lowest number of cases of tuberculosis.
According to data released by the Associação Portuguesa de Solidariedade Mãos Unidas, a non-governmental association dedicated to humanitarian causes, 14.7 people out of every 100,000 inhabitants suffer from the illness in the Algarve region, a much lower number than in Porto where 58 cases are registered out of every 100,000 inhabitants. The figures are also relatively high in Lisbon (46.8), Setúbal (37.3) and Beja (37.2).
In Portugal, there are 6,500 cases registered and, in 2005 alone, the country reported more than 3,500 new cases, a similar proportion to what was registered in several developing countries and an amount around three times higher than the European average.
For the past 20 years, the incidence rate for tuberculosis in Portugal has been the highest in Western Europe and the country continues to hold this undesirable record, despite the fact that, in recent years, a slight decrease in the number of cases has been recorded. Worldwide, there are 40 million cases, mainly in underdeveloped countries.
World Day of War Against Tuberculosis was commemorated on March 24, when various awareness campaigns took place throughout the country.
