This issue covers the period 6-12 October 2019 and includes updates on Ebola virus disease, extensively drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, West Nile virus, mass gathering monitoring (Japan, Rugby World Cup 2019), Poliomyelitis, Measles, Zika virus disease, seasonal influenza, XDR-Typhoid fever.
In 2017, 8.3% (11 787) of the patients who stayed in intensive-care units (ICUs) for more than two days presented with at least one ICU-acquired healthcare-associated infection (HAI) under surveillance (pneumonia, bloodstream infection, or urinary tract infection).
Carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli poses a significant threat to patients and healthcare systems in all European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections are associated with high mortality, primarily due to delays in administration of effective treatment and the limited availability of treatment options.
ECDC is organising a short course on “Control of multidrug-resistant micro-organisms (MDROs) in health care settings”. This training opportunity is addressed at healthcare professionals from European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries with current or future responsibility for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to MDROs working at national or local level. The course is offered by invitation only and participants are identified through the ECDC Coordinating Competent Bodies.
The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period from 14-24 August 2019 and includes updates on Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, monitoring environmental sustainability of Vibrio growth in the Baltic Sea, West Nile virus infection, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Croatia and Slovenia, the mass gathering of the Hajj in Saudi Arabia and Listeriosis in Spain. (Erratum (26 August 2019): On pages 2 and 5 (West Nile virus infection), the figure of eight deaths in Greece (4), Cyprus (1) and Serbia (1) has been amended to four deaths in Greece (2), Cyprus (1) and Serbia (1)
A large outbreak of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM)-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has been reported from the Tuscany region in Italy. Between November 2018 and May 2019, seven Tuscan hospitals notified a total of 350 cases.
Each year on 5 May, the “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands” campaign takes place as part of a major global effort led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve hand hygiene in healthcare settings.