Communicable Disease Threats Report, 19-25 January 2020, week 4

Surveillance and monitoring
The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 19-25 January 2020 and includes updates on Ebola virus disease, cluster of pneumonia cases associated with novel coronavirus, cholera, seasonal influenza and polio.
Publication file

Communicable Disease Threats Report, 19-25 January, week 4

English (4.29 MB - PDF)
Related files

CDTR maps and graphs, week 4

English (3.31 MB - PPTX)

Read more about the threats

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Disease information

Scanning electron micrograph of Ebola virus budding from the surface of a Vero cell (African green monkey kidney epithelial cell line). Credit: NIAID

Ebola and Marburg haemorrhagic fevers are rare diseases but have the potential to cause high death rates.

Picture of a coronavirus

Coronaviruses are viruses that circulate among animals. Some coronaviruses can infect humans. Many human coronaviruses come from bats which are considered natural hosts of these viruses.

Cholera bacteria, TEM. © Science Photo Library

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholera of serogroups O1 or O139. Humans are the only relevant reservoir, even though Vibrios can survive for a long time in coastal waters contaminated by human excreta.

Flu viruses in the throat, artwork. © Science Photo Library

Seasonal influenza is a preventable infectious disease with mostly respiratory symptoms. It is caused by influenza virus and is easily transmitted, predominantly via the droplet and contact routes and by indirect spread from respiratory secretions on hands etc.

Poliovirus particles, TEM. © Science Photo Library

Poliomyelitis, also known as polio or infantile paralysis, is a vaccine-preventable systemic viral infection affecting the motor neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). Historically, it has been a major cause of mortality, acute paralysis and lifelong disabilities but large scale immunisation programmes have eliminated polio from most areas of the world.

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