Communicable disease threats report, 15-21 March 2015, week 12

This issue covers the period 15 to 21 March 2015 and includes updates on seasonal influenza, Ebola Virus Disease and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

Seasonal influenza

While the proportion of influenza virus positive samples is similar to the previous week (41%), the overall number of influenza detections further decreased. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and type B viruses continued to circulate in the European Region, with an increasing proportion of type B viruses.

Hospitalised severe influenza cases were mainly reported in the elderly (53%). Influenza type A was more frequently observed (85%) than influenza B (15%) in fatal laboratory-confirmed hospitalised influenza cases.

See the latest Flu News Europe bulletin.

Ebola Virus Disease

 As of 17 March 2015, WHO reported 24 778 cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) related to the outbreak in West Africa, including 10 231 deaths.

WHO reported 150 new confirmed cases of Ebola in the week up to 15 March, compared with 116 in the previous week. There were 95 new confirmed cases reported in Guinea: the highest weekly total for the country in 2015. Sierra Leone reported 55 new confirmed cases over the same period: the country’s lowest weekly total since late June 2014. As of 17 March, Liberia had not reported new confirmed cases for the third consecutive week.

Middle East respiratory syndrome – coronavirus (MERS CoV)

Since the last update of 12 March 2015, Saudi Arabia has reported 10 additional cases of MERS-CoV in Riyadh (7 cases), Tabuk (1) and Eastern Province (2). One of the cases was a healthcare worker and one reported animal contact.Since April 2012, 1 103 cases of MERS-CoV have been reported by local health authorities worldwide, including 454 deaths. To date, all cases have either occurred in the Middle East, have direct links to a primary case infected in the Middle East, or have returned from this area.