Anthrax continues to be a rare disease in humans in Europe, with only a few cases reported every year. In 2016, two EU/EEA countries reported six laboratory-confirmed anthrax cases: Romania (5) and Spain (1). The remaining 28 reporting countries notified no cases.
For 2016, two countries reported a total of six cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). For the first time, Spain reported two confirmed autochthonous cases. Bulgaria reported the remaining four cases (CCHF is endemic in the Balkan region).
Cases of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis have remained stable over the past five years, although listeriosis is on the rise. In 2017, there was an average of 100 food- and waterborne outbreaks per week.
The present report is concerned with the events in Spain surrounding two cases of infection with Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus that emerged in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León in August 2016.