Vaccination to prevent disease is commonplace in Europe today. Certain diseases have already been eradicated by rigorous vaccination campaigns, while others are hoped to be eliminated soon, such as measles and congenital rubella.
Data on measles cases in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) for the last twelve months show a considerable rise in notifications compared to 2023.
This protocol presents an updated common methodology for estimating COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) using established health data registries in participating European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) Member States.
This report presents a description of COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the EU/EEA between 1 August 2024 and 17 January 2025, with some variation in dates between countries.
An e-learning course to introduce the concept of vaccine acceptance, the main themes of behaviour change related to vaccine acceptance and to present communication as a supportive tool to help persons to take important decisions for their health.
The HPV vaccine protects against a virus linked to cervical, throat, and other cancers, while the Hepatitis B vaccine helps prevent chronic liver infections that can lead to liver cancer.
Between September and December 2024, four countries in the EU/EEA (Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain) and the United Kingdom reported detections of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in sewage samples. This is the first time cVDPV2 has been detected in EU/EEA countries from environmental surveillance.
There is currently significant respiratory virus activity in the EU/EEA. Both flu and RSV epidemics are still ongoing. Individuals eligible for vaccination are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. Preventive measures, such as frequent handwashing, maintaining physical distance, avoiding large gatherings, and wearing masks in healthcare settings can help reduce transmission and protect those at high risk of severe illness.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 8 - 15 March 2025 and includes updates on respiratory virus epidemiology in the EU/EEA, Legionnaires' disease, chikungunya, mpox, Marburg virus, and Ebola.
