According to SAPO news, The National Institute of Health reveals that the number of 'heel prick tests' increased by 6% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2022. According to the Doctor Ricardo Jorge National Institute of Health (INSA), between January and June, 41,892 newborns underwent the 'heel prick test' under the Neonatal Screening Program (PNRN), responsible for coordinating this program carried out by its Unit of Neonatal Screening, Metabolism and Genetics of the Department of Human Genetics. That is, there were 2405 more tests carried out on newborns than in the first six months of 2022 and 4127 more compared to the previous year, 2021.

According to INSA, this is an increase of around 6% compared to the first half of 2022 – the year in which the birth rate grew by 5.1%, after the sharp decrease observed in 2021. It should be remembered that two years ago there was a historic drop in birth rates due to the covid-19 pandemic – the country was below 80,000 births in that year.

According to some experts, one of the factors that can explain this increase is the birth of children from foreign mothers. In 2021, they represented 14% of all births in Portugal. On the other hand, the increase may be related to the post-pandemic impact. It is possible that many mothers who have postponed the births of their children due to the uncertainties brought about by the confinements resulting from the covid-19 pandemic. Now, especially women between the ages of 30 and 35 seem to be resuming plans to become mothers.

According to PNRN data, as in previous years, most newborns are found in the country's capital (12,613) and in the city of Porto (7,550). On the other hand, the interior districts – namely Portalegre (253), Bragança (305) and Guarda (308) – register the lowest values. It is also known that January was the month with the most births.

The so-called 'heel prick test' is, according to INSA, carried out by collecting a few droplets of blood from the child's foot and allows "the diagnosing of some serious diseases that are clinically very difficult to diagnose in the first weeks of life".

According to Eurostat data released on Tuesday, in 2022 the EU gained almost 1.7 million people. In other words, Portugal follows the trend in the European Union. After two years of decline due to covid-19, the European population has increased. According to Eurostat, the population in the country has also grown due to immigration. In 2022, the country gained about 156 thousand inhabitants.