This interim guidance outlines the possible strategies that countries may wish to adopt in the deployment of a pandemic-specific vaccine, considering the two objectives of vaccination: protecting those at greatest risk of severe disease and maintaining essential services.
This document presents a menu of possible public measures to be taken during influenza pandemics, giving public health and scientific information on what is known or can be said about their likely effectiveness, costs (direct and indirect), acceptability, public expectations and other more practical considerations. The ‘ECDC Menu’ aims to help EU Member States and institutions, individually or collectively, decide which measures they will apply.
In the closed cabin environment of modern airplanes, passengers are frequently exposed to various infectious diseases. This report looks at 12 infectious diseases and, by systematically evaluating literature on on-board transmission, attempts to assess the risk of infection via air circulation in airplanes.
These guidelines are complemented by operational guidelines in relation to tuberculosis, new emerging airborne diseases (e.g. SARS) and meningococcal infections.
As epidemics of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus are extending globally, some European countries are considering how robustly to undertake case-finding among the first cases and whether to pursue and treat contacts.
ECDC intends to produce a series of interim guidance documents on suggested procedures to be put in place in order to reduce the risk of transmission of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus. This guidance only applies to a situation when there are relatively few persons under investigation, and will be revised if there seems to be a wider spread.
This paper identifies and describes population groups at increased risk for severe outcomes of influenza (“risk groups”) and advocates vaccination for two major groups, namely a) persons in the older age group, usually 65 years and older; and b) persons with chronic medical conditions.
In order to increase preparedness to respond to possible cases and clusters of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A/H5N1 in humans in Europe, the ECDC has prepared a toolkit for the European Union member states.