The recommendation from ECDC follows reports of falsified rabies vaccines and anti-rabies serum circulating in the Philippines and is aimed at travellers who have received the vaccine or serum after possible exposure to rabies.
Targeted testing is an essential element of any strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis across the countries in the European Union and European Economic Area. Some preliminary monitoring results on the response to hepatitis B and C presented around World Hepatitis Day show that diagnosing chronic infections is still a challenge in the EU/EEA.
After the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 July 2019, ECDC updated its risk assessment for the EU/EEA on the on-going outbreak: the overall risk of introduction and further spread of the Ebola virus within the EU/EEA remains very low.
As of 12 June, three imported Ebola virus cases and two deaths in Kasese District in Uganda have been confirmed by the Ugandan Ministry of Health. These are the first cases to be reported outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the beginning of the outbreak in August 2018.
In order to maximise the benefits of treatment for HIV or viral hepatitis, it is critical to test and diagnose people as soon as possible in the course of the infection. ECDC supports this objective of European Testing Week.
ECDC has deployed an epidemiologist under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to assist in the emergency response in Mozambique. The mission will support the humanitarian response with public health assessments and epidemiological advice. ECDC is also producing a risk assessment on the health risks related to this event.
The outbreak reached 1000 cases and is now spreading across 21 health zones. March was the worst month in terms of number of cases since the beginning of the outbreak.