Rapid risk/outbreaks assessment aim at supporting the countries and the European Commission in their preparedness and response to a public health threat. They provide a timely summary and risk assessment of a public health threat for EU/EEA countries related to a specific event. They also include potential options for response. As outbreaks or public health events develop, ECDC may issue updated risk assessments.
On 20 and 24 November 2019, respectively, the Dutch public health authorities confirmed two imported cases of Lassa fever from Sierra Leone. Both were Dutch healthcare workers who worked in a rural hospital in Sierra Leone.
In 2019, the hajj will take place between 9 and 14 August. The risk for EU/EEA citizens to become infected with communicable diseases during the 2019 hajj is considered low, thanks to the vaccination requirements for travelling to Makkah (Mecca) and the Saudi Arabian preparedness plans that address the management of health hazards during and after hajj.
As of 30 August 2018, Algeria has reported 74 confirmed cholera cases from six northern and coastal areas of the country. This is the first cholera outbreak reported in Algeria in more than 20 years.
In September 2017, the Ministry of Health in Brazil declared the end of the 2016–2017 yellow fever outbreak in the country. The upsurge of human cases since December 2017 and the continuous non-human primate epizootics since September 2017 indicate a continued or resumed increase in yellow fever virus circulation in Brazil. Since January 2018, most of the yellow fever cases have been reported from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states.
This publication assesses the risk to EU/EEA countries and citizens associated with the ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil. This is the second update of a rapid risk assessment originally produced on 25 January 2017 and updated on 13 April 2017.
The objective of this report is to systematically review the evidence on active case finding in prison settings, with a focus on the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) region.
Italy is currently experiencing four clusters of autochthonous chikungunya cases in the cities of Anzio, Latina and Rome in the Lazio region, and the city of Guardavalle Marina in the Calabria region.
Two related clusters involving autochthonous transmission of chikungunya virus have been detected in the cities of Anzio and Rome. This rapid risk assessment provides detailed event background information and assesses the threat for the European Union.