Joan XXIII Hospital of Tarragona has launched and consolidated in recent months a specific monographic consultation within the Infectious Diseases Program for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of tuberculosis cases. The reinforcement comes in a context of increased admissions due to this pathology in the Infectious Diseases Unit of the Internal Medicine Service.
The number of admitted patients has gone from 9 in 2022 and 9 in 2023 to 14 in 2024 and 16 in 2025. The objective of this consultation is to improve the standardization of protocols, intensify the control of treatment adherence and strengthen coordination with Public Health and with the Pneumology Service for the study of contacts.
More income and closer monitoring
The healthcare reorganization seeks to provide a more ordered response to an infectious disease that remains present and requires sustained clinical control. Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium that is transmitted airborne and primarily affects the lungs, although it can also present extrapulmonary involvement.
Among the most common symptoms are persistent cough, prolonged low-grade fever, weight loss, night sweats, and fatigue. Treatment control is one of the sensitive points, since the patient's evolution largely depends on correctly completing the medical regimen.
Incidence in the Camp de Tarragona and in Barcelona
The latest data published by the Department of Health, corresponding to 2024, place the incidence of tuberculosis in Camp de Tarragona at 14.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In Barcelona, the rate rises to 16.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The resurgence of cases detected in recent years is mainly linked to the phenomenon of globalization, in a scenario of greater population mobility. In this context, healthcare teams insist on early detection, medical follow-up, and contact tracing to cut transmission chains.
Airborne transmission and risk of developing the disease
"It has a very easy transmission and occurs via the respiratory tract through the aerosols we exhale when speaking or, especially, when coughing or sneezing" - Joaquim Peraire, director of the Infectious Diseases Program
The specialist recalls, however, that the infection does not always imply the development of the disease. The evolution depends on different factors and, in many cases, it is conditioned by the immune status of the exposed person.
"Not all infected people who have been in contact with a person with tuberculosis develop the disease. According to the World Health Organization, only between 5% and 10% usually develop it over time, often coinciding with a decrease in defenses" - Joaquim Peraire, director of the Infectious Diseases Program
The new Joan XXIII consultation is precisely oriented towards that closer monitoring of cases and their environment, with the intention of detecting the disease earlier, ensuring therapeutic adherence and improving clinical and public health coordination in Tarragona.