In 2019, the hajj will take place between 9 and 14 August. The risk for EU/EEA citizens to become infected with communicable diseases during the 2019 hajj is considered low, thanks to the vaccination requirements for travelling to Makkah (Mecca) and the Saudi Arabian preparedness plans that address the management of health hazards during and after hajj.
An ECDC country visit team conducted an assessment mission during the period 12–16 March 2018 to discuss antimicrobial resistance (AMR) issues in Norway. The overall objective of the mission was to provide an observation-based assessment of the situation in Norway regarding prevention and control of AMR through prudent use of antibiotics and infection control.
The objective of this report is to systematically review the evidence on active case finding in prison settings, with a focus on the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) region.
ECDC conducted a systematic review of the literature published between 2005–2015, with the aim to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in the general population and specific population subgroups in the EU/EEA Member States. This review is an update of an earlier review covering the period 2000–2009.
ECDC and EFSA have assessed the risk to the EU/EEA posed by a fatal human case of Bacillus anthracis infection in Bulgaria and concluded that this event represents a negligible risk to other EU/EEA countries.
New and noteworthy in this update: the retrospective identification of novel coronavirus in biological samples from two fatal cases in Jordan (April 2012) and the results of a joint ECDC/WHO survey which confirms that EU/EEA Member States have an adequate capacity to detect novel coronavirus through their network of national reference laboratories: 18 of 30 in EU/EEA countries are capable of confirming positive screened samples by either ORF1b RT-PCR or other target RT-PCR assays with sequence analysis or whole-genome sequence analysis.
CDC updated risk assessment concludes that in the absence of evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission outside of household settings, the current facts still point towards a hypothesis of a zoonotic or environmental source with occasional transmission to exposed humans. WHO does not advise any travel or trade restrictions at this point for KSA or Qatar.
This is an update to the joint rapid risk assessment published on 6 July 2012 by ECDC and EMCDDA on anthrax cases among injecting drug users in Germany. This is in response to further cases in France and Denmark. It contains information updated up to the 13 July 2012.
This is an update to the joint rapid risk assessment published on 22 June 2012 by ECDC and EMCDDA on anthrax cases among injecting drug users in Germany. This is in response to a third case in Berlin. It contains information updated up to the 6 July 2012.