The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) is organising the 24th ESICM LIVES Annual Congress in Berlin on 1-5 October 2011. This congress is one of the major meetings, gathering numerous well-known international experts in the field of intensive care medicine.
Location:Berlin
Organized by:European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
Clostridium difficile infection is the leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea in the developed world and represents a major financial burden for European healthcare systems.
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an intestinal infection usually acquired in hospital settings, after antibiotic treatment. The clinical spectrum of CDI ranges from mild diarrhoea to severe life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis. In the recent years, an increased incidence of CDI has been reported in Europe and worldwide.
The authors describe the epidemiology of invasive Hib and nontype b H. influenzae infections in children <15 years of age in the United Kingdom from 1994 until 2008, and show that the resurgence in Hib disease during the years 1999-2003 did not affect the epidemiology of invasive nontype b H. influenzae disease in children, which provides further support against serotype replacement.
Starting 15 September 2011, ECDC will be coordinating the former EUVAC.NET network. It is a surveillance network covering measles, mumps, rubella, congenital rubella, pertussis and varicella EU Member States and three countries of the European Economic Area. Data will be hosted by the European Surveillance System (TESSy) at ECDC.
Patient transfer between hospitals and in particular between countries, is a risk factor for the spread of bacteria that are resistant to last-line antibiotics. More specifically, for highly resistant bacteria, like carbapenamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), the risk is heightened when patients are transferred from, or have received previous medical care in areas with high rates of bacterial resistance. These are conclusions from a risk assessment produced by ECDC that evaluated the risk to the citizens of Europe, of the spread of CPE through patient transfer between healthcare facilities, with special emphasis on cross-border transfer.
The authors present an appraisal of the pneumococcal epidemiological situation in 11 Central European countries. Data are based on study findings presented at the 12th Central European Vaccine Advisory Group (CEVAG) meeting, held on 21–22 May 2010 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and a literature review of the PubMed database.
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a new report from its Task Force on the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak in Germany and France. The Task Force has now concluded that one lot of fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt and used to produce sprouts is the most likely common link between the two outbreaks. EFSA continues to advise consumers not to grow sprouts for their own consumption and not to eat sprouts or sprouted seeds unless they have been cooked thoroughly.