The decline in the reported number of new transmissions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections across European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries has continued.
In this report, we provide an overview of the data reported by countries in the EU and EEA in 2023 to describe progress towards the 2025 interim targets for hepatitis elimination as outlined in the WHO European Region Action Plan 2022–2030.
In 2022, 23 273 cases of hepatitis C were reported in 29 EU/EEA countries. Excluding countries that only reported acute cases, 23 249 cases were notified, corresponding to a crude rate of 6.2 cases per 100 000 population.
Recent ECDC data show that despite progress in prevention and control efforts, the hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses (HBV and HCV) continue to pose significant public health challenges in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA).
This report provides a record of the impact noted by countries on HIV services and monitoring capacity which can be used retrospectively to better understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the HIV situation in the European Region.
In a bid to enhance collaboration and share best practices in HIV prevention and control, representatives from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Cyprus, and Egypt convened in Cairo for the first Exchange of Experts meeting in 2024.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) the period 3-9 March 2024 and includes updates on SARS-CoV-2 variant classification, sexually transmitted infections, Psittacosis cases, product safety recall of InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% 30ml linked to Ralstonia pickettii contamination, cholera and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).