Human cases and fatalities due to influenza A(H5N1) virus continue to increase in Egypt, with cases from the country now accounting for the highest number of human cases reported worldwide.
Since April 2012 and as of 7 March 2015, 1 082 cases (including 439 deaths) of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported by local health authorities worldwide.
This rapid risk assessment summarises the epidemiological and virological information about human infections with low pathogenic avian influenza A(H7N7) viruses and assesses the risk to public health in the EU/EEA, in response to this outbreak.
This fourth update of the risk assessment on human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, summarises the epidemiological and virological information on the disease in China and Canada, and assesses the risk to public health in the EU/EEA and to EU/EEA citizens.
According to a WHO update published on 4 December 2014, eight new human cases of influenza A(H5N1) have been reported in Egypt, with onset of disease in November 2014, bringing the total for 2014 to 12.
Surveillance data gathered since 1 October 2014 indicate that in the first ten weeks of the 2014–15 influenza season, viruses in EU/EEA countries have been predominantly A(H3N2) rather than A(H1N1)pdm09 and type B viruses.
On 6 November 2014, German authorities reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus A(H5N8) at a holding with 31 000 fattening turkeys in the north-east of Germany.
This rapid risk assessment details an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A(H5N8) at a turkey holding in Germany reported by the German authorities on 6 November 2014.
The risk to the EU posed by the outbreak of MERS-CoV remains low. The latest importation to the EU is not unexpected and does not indicate a significant change in the epidemiology of the disease.