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.
The food-borne infections listeriosis and shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli are increasing in the EU/EEA and were in 2022 at levels higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immediate health needs following earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria are mostly related to trauma and the disruption of healthcare, however, infectious disease threats may be concerning in the following two to four weeks.
Hepatitis A cases in 2021 were at their lowest levels since EU-level hepatitis A surveillance began in 2007, while five other food and waterborne diseases are rising towards pre-pandemic levels. The information is revealed in the Annual Epidemiological Report 2021, of which six chapters are published today by ECDC.
Clusters and outbreaks of hepatitis A virus (HAV) genotype IB with four unique but closely related HAV sequences have been reported in six European Union (EU) countries and in the United Kingdom (UK).
Since the last epidemiological update published on 11 May 2022, new cases of hepatitis of unknown aetiology among children aged 16 years and under have been reported worldwide.
ECDC and the WHO Regional Office for Europe are publishing a joint surveillance bulletin on the current outbreak of hepatitis of unknown origin in children.
Since the first alert launched by the United Kingdom (UK) on 5 April 2022, probable cases of hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children have been reported from several countries worldwide.