Communicable disease threats report, 14-20 October 2012, week 42

On 3 October 2012, the Public Health Authority of Portugal reported two cases of dengue infection in patients residing in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. In light of this first known occurrence of locally transmitted dengue infection, ECDC produced a rapid risk assessment on the situation. By 17 October 2012, 37 confirmed cases were identified and 262 probable dengue patients were under investigation. 30 patients were hospitalised, six were still in hospital by 17 October. Following an invitation by the Autonomous Region of Madeira, a team of ECDC experts set off on 22 October to support the local authorities in their efforts to investigate and control the current outbreak. During the transmission season for West Nile fever from June to November, ECDC monitors the situation in EU Member States and in neighbouring countries in order to identify significant changes in the epidemiology of the disease. During the ongoing 2012 transmission season, so far 224 probable and confirmed cases have been reported in the EU, 538 cases were reported in neighbouring countries. In the last week, Greece has detected one new case from Thessaloniki, a prefecture with previous case reports.In countries neighbouring the EU, two new West Nile fever cases were notified by Voronezhskaya oblast in the Russian Federation; six additional cases have been confirmed in Serbia. One case imported from Algeria has been diagnosed with West Nile fever in France. This is the first reported case in Algeria since 1994