The Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) has detected a case of tuberculosis in a worker at the Camp Nou renovation project, according to the newspaper. The Country Sources from the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT) have confirmed this to ARA. For now, therefore, it is not considered an outbreak because only one case has been confirmed. Following this worker's infection, a study has been activated among those who have been in contact with him to rule out further infections. The alert reached the epidemiology service of the Barcelona Public Health Agency on October 24, according to the agency. The affected worker, diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, began treatment immediately. A contact tracing study was also initiated, a measure stipulated in the tuberculosis control protocol. In this case, 23 people have been in contact with the affected worker and could therefore have been exposed. Some of the people included in this contact tracing study work for the same company as the affected worker, a construction company involved in the renovation of the FC Barcelona stadium. For the moment, the ASPB points out, the study is ongoing and no further cases have been confirmed so far.

The former B9 secondary school, occupied since June 2023 by more than 400 people, remains in the sights of Badalona Mayor Xavier García Albiol, who this Friday reiterated his commitment to vacating it as soon as possible. The news of the detection of nine cases of tuberculosis among the people living in this former educational center had called into question this possibility, which was supported by the courts – although no execution date has yet been set – which has led Albiol to consider confining the occupants. sine die to prevent a potential uncontrolled spread of the infection. Finally, the Department of Health has ruled out this risk, arguing that those affected are already receiving treatment. Albiol has stated, in a video on his social media, that he will continue with his plans and do everything possible to permanently close the B9, which he has long described as problematic.

If the person with tuberculosis doesn't go to the healthcare system, the healthcare system goes to the person with tuberculosis. This is how professionals from the Public Health Agency of Catalonia have been monitoring the disease for years. They travel to areas of extreme social vulnerability to detect cases among people who don't see a doctor very often and have trouble following treatment. However, this makes contact tracing difficult and increases the risk of new infections. In fact, they estimate that one in three tuberculosis patients in Catalonia comes from these areas, either because they are in an irregular situation, barely speak Catalan or Spanish, or have an addiction problem that prevents them from properly completing treatment.

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that is booming worldwide: 10.8 million cases are detected each year, 1.25 million of which result in death, especially in poorer countries, according to the Barcelona Tuberculosis Research Unit (UITB). They rule out the possibility of more infected people linked to this outbreak. "Well," claims the Deputy Director General of Surveillance and Emergency Response at Public Health, Jacobo Mendioroz, in statements to ARA. The patient is a person with a "history of serious social problems and substance use" who was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in 2022. After completing it, he went to live in another autonomous community. There was no follow-up there either, and healthcare professionals lost track of him until the beginning of this year, again in Catalonia. Two and a half years after the diagnosis, he continued in "a precarious situation and with low adherence to treatment," anti-tuberculosis treatment and also support for other health problems. It was precisely during this admission that it was detected that it is a case of extremely resistant tuberculosis, and Public Health believes it is a consequence of social vulnerability and poor previous adherence to treatments. The Department of Health clarifies that it is no more contagious than other forms of tuberculosis.

However, cases like the one detected last week present "significant difficulties" for proper treatment, as they are resistant to the drugs normally used to combat the disease. Therefore, it is very important that they are detected and reported quickly in order to activate control measures as soon as possible. Mendioroz explained that these types of cases are closely related to the social vulnerability of individuals, who have greater difficulty following treatment, and if it is not followed to the end, resistance develops.

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Joan Caylà (Badalona, ​​​​1952) is president of the Barcelona Tuberculosis Research Unit (UiTB) and for 23 years was the head of the epidemiology service at the Barcelona Public Health Agency. He has published more than 200 scientific articles on infectious diseases such as COVID-19, HIV, and tuberculosis, of which there was a major outbreak in Catalonia last year, with more than 25 people affected, which is still under investigation.

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