Communicable disease threats report, 26 April-2 May 2015, week 18

This issue covers the period 26 April to 2 May 2015 and includes updates on a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak in Riga, Latvia, and measles and rubella in Europe.

Salmonella Enteritidis

The outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis appears to have affected more than one hundred Riga Cup ice hockey tournament participants from Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The source or vehicle(s) of the outbreak have not yet been identified. Investigations are being undertaken by the Finnish public health authorities and by the Latvian public health authorities in order to provide further information about the likely time and place of exposure of the cases.

On 29 April ECDC published a rapid risk assessment on this topic.

Measles and Rubella in Europe

In the EU, since the last monthly update, the measles outbreak in Berlin, Germany is still ongoing. New measles outbreaks were detected in France and Austria.

In the rest of the world, measles outbreaks are reported from Serbia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Brazil, Guinea, Liberia, the Republic of the Congo, and Sudan.

No new outbreaks of rubella were detected in EU Member States since the last monthly update.

The Americas were declared free of endemic transmission of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by PAHO/WHO on 29 April 2015.