Sixty cases of diphtheria due to toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae (n=29) or C. ulcerans (n=31), and one case with unknown pathogen were reported to ECDC in 2021.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 10-16 December 2023 and includes updates on measles, chikungunya, dengue, SARS-CoV-2, diphtheria, West Nile virus, respiratory virus epidemiology and influenza.
Fleas are ectoparasitic blood-sucking insects with the ability to jump, which commonly infest wild and domestic animals (mainly dogs and cats) but also humans.
Sindbis virus is widely and continuously found in insects (the main vectors are Culex and Culiseta mosquitoes) and vertebrates in Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. ECDC factsheet for health professionals
Tularaemia is a zoonosis (infection that could transmit from animals to humans), A range of wild and domestic animals such as hares or rodents may function as the reservoir for tularaemia, as well as ticks.
ECDC initiated a survey of EU/EEA countries to evaluate preparedness planning and risk mitigation initiatives implemented at the country level for people exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A(H5N1).
This protocol sets out measures for the follow-up and management of individuals exposed to infected animals and human cases of avian influenza, and for the public health management of possible and confirmed human cases.
To assess the level of preparedness of EU/EEA Member States to respond to zoonotic avian flu outbreaks, ECDC has carried out two surveys - one assessing the laboratory capacity for molecular diagnosis and characterisation of zoonotic influenza viruses, and the other focusing on measures applied to protect exposed people during outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The aim of this survey was to review the expertise, capabilities and capacities for detection and characterisation of avian and other zoonotic influenza viruses in national influenza reference laboratories in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), in members of the European Reference Laboratories for influenza (ERLINet), and in EU Enlargement policy countries.