Since last ECDC update on 17 May 2013, one probable and six new confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection have been reported.

The CDTR reports this week on an ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) affecting individuals from various northern countries in the EU. Since the beginning of the outbreak on 1 October 2012 until 17 May 2013 a total of 85 cases were reported, of which 34 are confirmed. No cases have travel history outside of the EU during their potential exposure period. The source of the outbreak has not yet been identified but preliminary investigations point to frozen berries as the vehicle of infection. Public health authorities in the affected countries and ECDC are actively collaborating to identify the vehicle of the infection in order to prevent the occurrence of additional cases.

Most EU/EEA countries monitor rubella, rubella in pregnancy and congenital rubella syndrome through mandatory and comprehensive systems, but changes could be made to help align surveillance data across Europe, states the new ECDC report on rubella surveillance systems in EU/EEA countries.

The 2013 European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) will be held in Stockholm, Sweden on 5 - 7 November. The conference, sponsored by ECDC, will be hosted at the Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, in the heart of the city.

ECDC has published an update of its rapid risk assessment on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), previously referred to as the novel coronavirus.

Today, ECDC is publishing a second update of its rapid risk assessment on avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in China to take account of latest developments. However, the overall assessment of the risk to Europe remains unchanged.

Last week, public health authorities reported on the on-going outbreak in Wales. Public Health Wales reported 503 measles cases in April, bringing the total number of notified cases in the outbreak affecting Wales since November 2012 to 1011.

In the last five days, 13 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection have been reported by the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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 hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and thus support the prevention of healthcare-associated infections.

The case definition and case finding algorithm have been prepared for surveillance purposes only and they will be adjusted as the current avian influenza A(H7N9) situation develops.

Between 1 November 2012 and 30 April 2013, 15 confirmed cases of hepatitis A virus infections and 89 probable cases, all with subgenotype IB, have been reported in 14 EU/EFTA countries. All cases have a travel history to Egypt.

With influenza activity continuing to decline or having already returned to baseline levels in all reporting countries after more than three months of active transmission, the 2012–13 influenza season appears to be coming to its end in Europe.

ECDC has produced three generic protocols: a protocol for developing cohort studies to assess the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccination in EU Members States; a protocol proposing prospective case control study designs to estimate rotavirus vaccine effectiveness; and a protocol for developing studies to assess the impact of rotavirus vaccination EU Member States.

This week two new measles outbreaks have been reported in Italy, one in Genoa with 15 cases, of which two are hospitalised, and in Rimini  where two 5-year-old children have been hospitalised in a serious condition.

Since 31 March 2013, one hundred and twenty one (121) cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus have been reported from eight provinces and two municipalities in eastern China and one (1) from Taiwan.