Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 8 October 2025
Good morning. It was sad to learn that just five months into the 2025 Bathing Season, the National Maritime Authority recorded, between May 1 and September 30, 1,120 rescues, 3,787 first aid actions and 18 fatalities on Portuguese beaches. Eleven of the facilities were at unsupervised beaches.
A reminder that the new border management system – the Input/Exit System (EES) – will soon start. The EES is the new European system for automated external border control of the Schengen space that will gradually replace traditional passport stamps with centralized electronic registrations. It is intended for third country citizens traveling to Europe, for short-term stays.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will start operations on 12 October 2025. European countries using the EES will introduce the system gradually at their external borders. This means that data collection will be gradually introduced at border crossing points with full implementation by 10 April 2026.
In case you are not aware the French air traffic controllers have called off a three-day strike that threatened to disrupt European flights from, 7th – 10th October, a top union said on Saturday. We mention this because at least one online news organisation does not appear to be aware of this stating this afternoon that “the strike appears to be having little effect!”
The main union in the sector, the SNCTA, announced the suspension of its strike notice for Tuesday to Thursday following consultations with the Civil Aviation Authority and “agreements” with the management. The union, which represents around 60 percent of workers, has pushed for better pay and conditions. The statement also referred to a promise by new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu not to ram his austerity budget through parliament without a vote, seen as a key concession to the opposition.
The main French air traffic control union, SNCTA, has announced a strike from 7 to 10 October 2025, which is expected to cause tens of thousands of flight cancellations and delays across Western Europe.
A reminder concerning scams. Fake emails and SMSs are circulating in the name of ANSR (National Road Safety Authority) with summit notifications and payment requests. BE CAREFUL! THE ANSR WILL NEVER: Send notifications by email or SMS; Request payments through links; Use digital media for official communications. All notifications are always sent by PHYSICAL MAIL. If you receive a suspicious message: Do NOT click on any links; DO NOT provide personal data; DO NOT make payments. In case of any doubt, contact ANSR 214 236 800
This is not the only scam. Another one concerns an alleged debt owed to SNS. If you receive a message asking you to pay for a supposed emergency room visit, do not click on the link, do not make any payment, and do not enter any personal or banking information. The Viseu Dão-Lafões Local Health Unit (ULS) warned, last Friday, about the circulation of mobile phone messages (sms) in the name of the National Health Service (SNS) about outstanding amounts and with a ‘link’ to pay.
According to a press release, the ULS states that “fake SMS messages are circulating in the name of the SNS and the Ministry of Health” and these messages “refer to the existence of outstanding amounts relating to the emergency, which must be paid within five days”.
Our team wish you all the very best for the week ahead.
News
Case of pulmonary tuberculosis detected in a hotel in the Lisbon region
The case is undergoing clinical and therapeutic monitoring at the Community Respiratory Consultation in the area of residence, according to the DGS, which, for now, rules out “evidence of increased risk” for the population.
Health authorities are monitoring a case of pulmonary tuberculosis detected in a hotel in the Lisbon region, identifying high-risk contacts and referring them for screening. The information was released this Tuesday by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
In a response to the Lusa news agency, following a report of tuberculosis cases in a hotel, the DGS clarifies that, “to date, a case of pulmonary tuberculosis has been confirmed in a professional linked to a hotel establishment in the Lisbon region”.
According to the DGS, this case is undergoing clinical and therapeutic monitoring at the Community Respiratory Consultation in the area of residence.
“To date, there is no evidence of an increased risk to the general population. All recommended isolation and treatment measures have been followed by the case,” he emphasizes.
The DGS states that The DGS states that health authorities and other partners are identifying “at-risk contacts based on their exposure to the case and referring them for screening,” following public health standards and guidelines applicable to these cases.
Airborne transmission
Pulmonary tuberculosis is transmitted mainly through the air, when a person with the disease releases small infected particles when coughing, talking or sneezing, says the DGS, highlighting that the risk of contagion depends on the severity of the disease, the proximity and duration of contact and the conditions of the location.
“Only tuberculosis that affects the respiratory tract is contagious. When a case is identified, health authorities track close contacts—people who spent several hours with the patient—to detect possible infections,” he emphasizes.
The health authority explains that screening begins by ruling out active disease, through symptoms and a chest X-ray, and continues with a blood test (IGRA) that assesses whether there has been previous contact with the bacteria.
Screening aims to ensure early detection of disease cases and prevention of transmission.
SPAIN – AEMET names the first major storm/dana (cut-off low) of the 2025-2026 season: storm/dana Alice.
From now on, the most adverse Dana will also have their own names. The name Dana comes from the acronym DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos – Cut-off low in English). By nature, these systems develop in a complex manner and are difficult to predict. In conjunction with other factors, they are capable of generating very intense, locally torrential, precipitation (rain and snow) and high-impact storms.
Storm/Dana ALICE – Will cause very heavy and persistent downpours in areas of the eastern Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands in the coming days.
Take extreme precautions and check the current warnings on the AEMET website and the AEMET app.
Start: Late Wednesday Oct 8th
Duration: At least until Sunday Oct 12th
Probability: High (70%)
Tomorrow, Wednesday Oct 8th, a trough with an associated cold mass air at mid-levels will enter the western Iberian Peninsula and advance eastward, forming several vortices within it over the following days, giving rise to Storm/Dana Alice.
At surface level, a powerful northerly high pressure system will foster an easterly and north easterly flow with a maritime path that will bring abundant moisture to the Mediterranean coast.
This configuration will be fairly stationary, leading to a blocking situation that will cause the DESCRIBED CONDITIONS TO PERSIST FOR SEVERAL DAYS, WITH VERY HEAVY AND PERSISTENT RAINFALL AFFECTING MAINLY THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE PENINSULA AND THE BALEARIC ISLANDS from late tomorrow, Wednesday Oct 8th, and at least until Sunday Oct 12th.
The area with the highest accumulations throughout the episode will be THE AREA AROUND CABO DE LA NAO, PARTICULARLY THE COASTAL AND PRE-COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHERN VALENCIA AND NORTHERN ALICANTE. The showers could lead to local flash flooding in low-lying areas, streams, and drainage channels, so the potential danger level of this situation is high.
As of today, the highest accumulations, the most adverse situation, is expected in the south of the province of Valencia (Sueca, Cullera, Gandía, Oliva), the north of Alicante (Denia, Pego, Vall de Ebo, Ondara), and the extreme southeast of Murcia (Cabo de Palos and Mar Menor). These areas are highly exposed to north easterly winds, which are expected to predominate. Elsewhere, rain is also expected, but intermittent and less intense.
West Antarctica hides almost a hundred volcanoes under the ice:
The colossal West Antarctic ice sheet hides what appears to be the largest volcanic region on the planet, according to the results of a study carried out by researchers at the University of Edinburgh (UK) and reported in the journal Geological Society.
Experts have discovered as many as 91 volcanoes under Antarctic ice, the largest of which is as high as Switzerland’s Eiger volcano, rising 3,970 meters above sea level
According to o experts, the area has many similarities to the East African volcanic ridge, which currently holds the record for the densest concentration of volcanoes in the world. They remotely surveyed the underside of the ice sheet to detect hidden peaks of basaltic rock, like those of other volcanoes in the region whose tips or spikes press above the ice.
By analysing the land beneath the ice, the ice and comparing the results with satellite and database records, as well as geological information from aerial assessments, the geologists found 91 previously unknown volcanoes, ranging in height from 100 to 3,850 meters.
“We found 180 peaks, but we discounted 50 because they didn’t match the other data,” explains Robert Bingham, co-author of the paper. They eventually found 138 peaks under the West Antarctic ice sheet, including 47 volcanoes already known because their peaks protrude through the ice, leaving the figure of 91 newly discovered.