The number of people with tuberculosis in the Netherlands increased slightly in 2024. The number is now almost equal to just before the COVID-19 pandemic. This may be because tuberculosis can spread more easily now than during the pandemic. Additionally, more people came to the Netherlands, including from countries where tuberculosis is prevalent. This is evident from the core figures from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
In 2024, tuberculosis was diagnosed in 768 people in the Netherlands (tb Tuberculosis (Tuberculosis)). This is 65 more than in 2023 (703). More than half of these patients had tuberculosis in the lungs (469). Some of them had open tuberculosis, the most contagious form (202).
Number of people with tuberculosis in the Netherlands at the same level as before the COVID-19 pandemic
The number of tuberculosis reports in the Netherlands in 2024 is higher than in the years during the COVID-19 pandemic (average 643), and at the same level as in the years before the pandemic (average 777).
This is because contact-reducing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic also led to less spread of tuberculosis. Additionally, fewer people came to the Netherlands during the pandemic, including from countries where tuberculosis is prevalent.
Screening upon entry into the Netherlands
People entering the Netherlands from countries where tuberculosis is prevalent are required to be screened for tuberculosis. This allows for the disease to be detected and treated quickly. Approximately 80 percent of the patients in the Netherlands in 2024 were born abroad. The majority came from Eritrea (96), followed by Somalia (45) and Morocco (44).
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium that spreads through the air. The disease can be contagious, but not always, even when the bacterium is in the lungs.
Tuberculosis is usually treatable with antibiotics. In 2024, this was the case for most patients. There were 13 patients with resistance to the main antibiotics. In the past ten years, this number has ranged from 6 to 10 patients per year. Treating patients with resistant tuberculosis is more difficult, but thanks to new medications, the treatment duration has become shorter.
What is a tuberculosis infection?
If someone is infected with the bacterium but does not (yet) have tuberculosis, this is referred to as a tuberculosis infection. By early detection and preventive treatment of infected individuals, the development of the disease can be prevented.
In 2024, more than 1500 individuals with a tuberculosis infection were reported. Nearly half of these were detected through screening of people from countries where tuberculosis is prevalent. Almost a third was found through source and contact investigations around a patient with tuberculosis.