The reported national influenza trends indicate that the influenza season is coming to its end in Europe, highlights the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview for Week 19.

ECDC, through the VBORNET network, publishes regularly on its website maps on exotic mosquitoes and on phlebetomines  - to provide the ECDC stakeholders and the general public with the most updated information on vector distribution. The maps are updated and improved quarterly.

The reported national influenza trends indicate that influenza season is coming to its end in Europe, highlights the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview for Week 18.

The latest European monthly measles monitoring shows that during the period 1 January to 28 February 2012, 1 447 cases of measles were reported by the 29 contributing EU and EEA countries. This number is considerably lower than the same two months  of 2011 (5 731 cases) and 2010 (5 752 cases).

Results of the 2nd ECDC/CNRL external quality assurance (EQA) scheme for influenza virus detection and culture show a high standard of influenza virus detection and typing maintained across influenza reference laboratories in EU/EEA countries.

During Week 18, 29 April – 5 May 2012, ECDC monitored the public health threats to the European Union (EU).

On the 9^th of May ECDC will celebrate ‘Europe Day’ which was proclaimed by Robert Schuman in 1950. To mark the occasion ECDC will participate with the European Commission, the European Parliament, Embassies of the European Union and candidate and potential candidate countries to the EU in an event in the centre of Stockholm.

WHO “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands” is an annual campaign that makes part of major global effort to support healthcare workers to improve hand hygiene practices in healthcare settings, and thus support the prevention of often life-threatening healthcare-associated infections.

ECDC and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) are jointly organising a conference to discuss doctors’ role in preventing childhood diseases, particularly measles, through vaccination.

Invasive mosquito species in Europe present a potential public health threat and their surveillance and control are essential, concludes an article published this week in the journal ‘Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases’, funded and co-authored by ECDC.

During Week 17, 22-28 April 2012, ECDC monitored the possible public health threats to citizens and residents in the European Union (EU).

Adjustments to surveillance practices in the EU will enhance preparedness and public health response to emerging infectious diseases, thereby helping to contain human and economic costs. These are the conclusions of an article published this week in Science magazine, describing a study co-authored by ECDC.