Home News Portugal registers excess mortality Portugal registers excess mortality The Directorate-General of Health (DGS) and the National Institute of Health, Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA), revealed that Portugal has experienced excess mortality since the first week of December.
Portugal registers excess mortality
Monday, 12 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The National Institute of Health Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Ricardo Jorge or INSA) is Portugal's public health institute responsible for epidemiological surveillance, reference laboratories, research and technical guidance for the health system. INSA plays a central role in testing, tracking infectious diseases and issuing scientific advice used by the government and the Serviço Nacional de Saúde, so its findings often shape public-health measures and travel or testing guidance.
The Directorate-General for Health (Direção-Geral da Saúde) is Portugal’s national public health authority that issues guidance on disease control, health alerts and safety of food and water. After Storm Kristin it advised boiling or using bottled water if contamination is suspected, discarding food exposed to floodwater and keeping good hygiene when cleaning affected areas, guidance that residents and recovery workers should follow.
Excess mortality is the number of deaths above what would be expected based on historical averages (commonly a multi‑year baseline), and it captures deaths directly and indirectly caused by events like epidemics, heatwaves or healthcare disruptions. Portugal’s public health institute INSA (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge) monitors excess mortality to see the broader impact of seasonal illnesses and other stresses on the health system, so a drop in flu cases does not automatically mean overall mortality has returned to normal. Those following public‑health trends should note excess‑mortality figures because they show the pandemic and other factors’ continuing effect on population health.
