Purpose: Romania has the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) comprising almost a quarter (23.4%) of the reported patients in 2017, and a TB notification rate six times higher than the EU/EEA average. Although the overall TB notification rate in Romania declined from 154/100.000 individuals to 66/100.000 individuals in the general population between 2002 and 2017, TB notification rates remain high in certain vulnerable populations groups such as prisoners, the homeless population and among drug users. /
Patients and Methods: We conducted a descriptive study regarding TB monitoring data in Romania, including the aforementioned TB risk groups. /
Results: Analysis regarding notified TB cases among these risk groups indicates that TB rates are 7 to 18 times higher than in the general population. One of the most alarming aspects regards the exceedingly high proportion of HIV-seropositivity among drug users and the high mortality rates among the homeless population and among drug users with TB. /
Conclusion: This data underlines the importance of early identification among social risk groups using outreach active case-finding (ACF) activities, possibly combining TB screening with screening for other common, possibly life-threatening, co-morbidities for which an effective treatment is available. ACF could have a decisive role in TB control and eradication in Romania, when aimed at these high-risk groups
