To support countries in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) in their review of preparedness system planning, ECDC launches an operational checklist for health emergency preparedness for imported cases of high consequence infectious diseases.
In 2019, the hajj will take place between 9 and 14 August. The risk for EU/EEA citizens to become infected with communicable diseases during the 2019 hajj is considered low, thanks to the vaccination requirements for travelling to Makkah (Mecca) and the Saudi Arabian preparedness plans that address the management of health hazards during and after hajj.
In 2017, 42 242 cases of pertussis were reported in EU/EEA countries. Five countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK) accounted for 76% of all notified cases.
This report presents the results of the second European Pertussis Laboratory Surveillance Network (EUPert-LabNet) EQA scheme for Bordetella pertussis PCR funded by ECDC on behalf of EUPert-LabNet. The EQA study was conducted between February and March 2018.