European Immunization Week (EIW) is marked across Europe every year in the final week of April. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of immunisation for the general health and well-being of the European and wider population.
In connection with the European Immunization Week, ECDC releases data indicating an increase in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis, after decreased levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) the period 11-17 February 2024, and includes updates on SARS-CoV-2 variant classification, diphtheria, chikungunya, dengue, influenza A(H5N1), a human case of co-infection with seasonal influenza A(H3N2) and avian influenza A(H10N5), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and an overview of respiratory virus epidemiology in the EU/EEA.
The food-borne infections listeriosis and shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli are increasing in the EU/EEA and were in 2022 at levels higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
For 2022, 29 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries reported 8 565 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection.
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.