In July–November 2009, 26 European Union Member States, Norway and Iceland, participated in a survey seeking information on national tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccination recommendations.
In the context of an active nationwide surveillance network, this study describes pneumoccocal meningitis in children aged from 1 day to 15 years during a 8 year study period (2001-2008) in France. 951 pneumoccocal meningitis cases were reported among 3312 children with bacterial meningitis. T
Details of two innovative initiatives designed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase awareness of influenza and seasonal influenza were recently published on the CDC website.
This initiative was taken following the indication of a potential association between the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) monvalent vaccine and the occurrence of narcolepsy following reports, especially in children from Finland and Sweden.
Influenza vaccination of healthcare workers (HCW) reduces the risk of infection, influenza-like illness, absenteeism and presenteeism among staff and appears to prevent nosocomial infections and associated morbidity and mortality among their patients.
This retrospective cohort study, carried out in two hospitals in Toronto , Canada, looked for thrombotic events in all hospitalised patients with confirmed pandemic A(H1N1)2009 influenza. It then went on to describe the nature of these vascular events and the associated factors. The publication has single illustrative a case report and a case series with a retrospective cohort study.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and ECDC have published a joint opinion providing an overview of the latest available scientific information on possible links between Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) in animals and humans. This is the first comprehensive review of epidemiological and laboratory studies on possible links between TSEs in animals and humans at EU level.
This descriptive study, based on national surveillance data of reported malaria cases, travelers’ statistics and data on malaria chemoprophylaxis prescriptions, estimates the incidence and trends of imported malaria in the Netherlands.