In connection with the European Immunization Week, ECDC releases data indicating an increase in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis, after decreased levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been confirmed by Public Health England (PHE) on the 23 August. Health authorities are identifying close contacts of the patient as a precautionary measure. This is the fifth case of MERS-CoV diagnosed in England, where there have been no cases since 2013.
Since the last update by ECDC in its risk assessment of 11 June 2015, 18 new cases and one death in a previously reported case have been reported by South Korean authorities.
Since the previous update of the ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment on MERS-CoV (30 June 2015), 13 new cases and seven deaths have been reported globally from South Korea (4 cases and 4 deaths), Saudi Arabia (8 cases and 3 deaths) and the Philippines who reported a travel-related MERS case related to travel in the Middle East on 6 July 2015.
Since the last epidemiological update on 15 June 2015, 25 additional cases and seven deaths in previously reported cases have been reported in South Korea. Health authorities in Thailand reported their first MERS-CoV case.