Tuberculosis in Norway 2022 – with treatment results for 2021: annual report
Report
|Updated
This report summarises Norwegian epidemiological data on tuberculosis for 2022 as well as contact tracing and treatment results for patients notified in 2021 (English summary).
Key message
Following eight years of continuous decline in the number of persons notified with tuberculosis in Norway, the number increased from 155 in 2021 to 174 in 2022. This modest increase must be seen in relation to increased mobility across the border following the cease of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the increased number of refugees to Norway in 2022.
The vast majority of those falling ill with tuberculosis in Norway are born in a country with high prevalence of the disease. Both the proportion and the actual number of Norwegian-born patients with tuberculosis declined in 2022 and was at a historically low level with only 17 cases notified in this group in 2022.
The age and sex distribution of tuberculosis cases in Norway reflects, to a large extent, the pattern of migration to Norway. The proportion of women has increased over the last years as opposed to previously, when the majority of patients were male. In 2022, Ukrainian women represented a large proportion of newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers to Norway. As Ukraine has high prevalence of tuberculosis, this is reflected in the Norwegian statistics.
The last two years has shown an increase in the number of cases with multi resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). This increase becomes particularly evident when considering the proportion of MDR-TB among the culture positive cases (7,2% in 2022). Increasing rates of MDR-TB cases is also seen globally. In combination with the damaging impact on access to diagnosis and treatment attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, these tendencies give rise to worry.
The vast majority of those treated for tuberculosis in Norway, are cured. In 2021, 89 % of those treated had a successful outcome, both among Norwegian-born and foreign-born.
Preventive treatment constitutes an important part of the work related to tuberculosis in Norway. In 2022, there were more than three times as many receiving preventive treatment as of those treated for the illness.
Contact tracing is another important part of the work to combat tuberculosis and should be done following each case of pulmonary tuberculosis. A total of 86 contact tracings were reported in 2021, resulting in the identification of 102 persons with suspected infection. 4 of these were diagnosed with the disease and started on treatment, whilst 50 were provided preventive treatment to reduce the risk of future disease.
