This document is a routine and planned risk assessment of the 2013-2014 seasonal influenza in EU/EEA countries. Active circulation of influenza has started late in Europe in the 2013-2014 season, with a different timing across EU/EEA countries, states the annual ECDC risk assessment on seasonal influenza.
This updated risk assessment summarises all available information on the novel avian influenza A(H7N9) and assesses the situation as of 27 January 2014, focusing on new developments since the ECDC rapid risk assessments of 3 April 2013, 12 April 2013 and 8 May 2013.
The confirmed circulation of wild-type poliovirus (WPV) in Israel and the outbreak of poliomyelitis in Syria mean that there is a high risk the disease will be reintroduced into the EU/EEA.
This eighth update of the rapid risk assessment of the MERS-CoV outbreak is intended to provide expert opinion on the risk for Europe with regards to the probable case of MERS reported by Spain on 5 November.
The report aims to provide a critical review of evidence on the barriers and drivers of seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in the EU/EEA. The report focuses on high-risk groups where high coverage of seasonal flu vaccination is most important. The 2009 Council of the European Union Recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination encourages countries to implement measures that would increase seasonal influenza vaccination uptake to at least 75% for defined older age groups, and, if possible, for other risk groups. In support of this, the ECDC report summarises the evidence on what are the barriers and what are the drivers for seasonal influenza vaccination by each risk group
Following the announcement by WHO of a cluster of cases of acute flaccid paralysis in Syria, ECDC conducted a risk assessment and concludes that this does pose a risk that polio might be imported to the EU. The Risk Assessment includes number of recommendations for EU Member States.
The EU/EEA countries and the rest of the WHO European Region, have been officially polio-free since 2002. However, wild-type polio virus 1 (WPV1) has been isolated in sewage and in the faeces of asymptomatic carriers in Israel since February 2013. In this risk assessment ECDC looks at the potential impact of this public health event on the risk of poliovirus being imported and re-established into circulation in EU/EEA.
Since publishing the ’Joint ECDC-EFSA rapid outbreak assessment: Outbreak of hepatitis A virus infection in residents and travellers to Italy’ in May, new information has emerged as a result of the epidemiological, microbiological and environmental investigations. Therefore, ECDC has updated its previous assessment.