The European Medicines Agency (EMA) was key in the Europe during the 2009 pandemic concerning the authorisation and the benefit – risk assessment of the novel pandemic vaccines.
In late March, 2011 ECDC reported that the Swedish Medical Product Agency published preliminary results from an on-going cohort study involving 5.3 million people, where 67% of children and adolescents and 51.0% of adults were vaccinated with Pandemrix.
The authors analyzed data on 444 imported cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Sweden during the period 2000-2003. The risk for MRSA carriage or infection in returning travellers ranged from 0.1 per million travellers returning from Nordic countries to 59.4 per million travellers returning from North Africa and the Middle East.
The authors present data on 15 individuals infected by Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) -producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Intra-familial spread was documented in one case, and occupational transmission was most likely in another case. spa typing of the strains revealed a broad range of variants, though some strains were clonally related. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was found in three cases.
In recent years there have been a series of arguments and findings suggesting that Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) which used widely to lower cholesterol levels may also be important in reducing the risk associated with severe infective conditions.
On the occasion of World Hand Hygiene Day, 5th May, ECDC is releasing new web pages dedicated to the Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Network (HAI-Net) – a European network for HAI surveillance, coordinated by ECDC.
The agreed document will now go to WHO’s governing body the World Health Assembly in May 2011 (16-24 May) with a report from the Group and a Resolution strongly recommending adoption.
This study estimates the burden of disease of the pandemic influenza A(H1N1)2009 virus in the Netherlands during the pandemic season and compares it to the overall burden of disease by calculating Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), a composite measure that combines incidence, sequelae and mortality associated with a disease, taking duration and severity into account.
The United Kingdom has recently published a new influenza pandemic strategy for consultation with key stakeholders. The consultation runs to June 2011 and is the last stage before formal adoption.