Influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV activity in EU/EEA Member States continue to decrease or remain stable at low levels. Cases, including severe infections, can still occur and it therefore remains essential to continue testing patients presenting with severe acute respiratory symptoms in order to guide treatment and inform epidemiological assessments.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 28 April - 4 May 2024 and includes updates on cholera, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, an overview of respiratory virus epidemiology in the EU/EEA, highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in cattle and a related human case, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, and Lassa fever.
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.
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 joint guidance by the ECDC and EMCDDA aims to strengthen the evidence base for developing national strategies for preventing and controlling infections and infectious diseases among people who inject drugs.
Arenaviruses are a type of small virus commonly found in rodents. When a person becomes infected with an arenavirus, symptoms usually begin within 10 days.
For 2021, 26 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries reported data on Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and only one country reported any cases.
The EVD-LabNet is strengthening capacity for early detection and surveillance of (re)emerging viral diseases in the EU/EEA countries and EU Candidate Countries.