The 2022–2023 ECDC PPS was the third EU-wide point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals.
This report presents surveillance data on Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) in acute care hospitals in European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries, the UK, and Serbia.
ECDC’s annual surveillance reports provide a wealth of epidemiological data to support decision-making at the national level. They are mainly intended for public health professionals and policymakers involved in disease prevention and control programmes.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 10-16 September 2023 and includes updates on COVID-19, diphtheria, West Nile virus, avian influenza, dengue, legionnaires' disease, the Rugby World Cup 2023, cutaneous Anthrax, pertussis, botulism and severe floods.
Anthrax continues to be uncommon in humans in the EU/EEA, with only a few cases reported every year. For 2021, four confirmed anthrax cases were reported by Bulgaria (one case) and Spain (three cases). Among 30 reporting EU/EEA countries, 27 notified zero cases.
In 2019, 8 874 (7.4%) of patients staying in an intensive care unit (ICU) for more than two days presented with at least one ICU-acquired healthcare-associated infection (HAI) under surveillance (pneumonia, bloodstream infection, or urinary tract infection).
In 2018, 9 860 (7.8%) of patients staying in an intensive care unit (ICU) for more than two days presented with at least one ICU-acquired healthcare-associated infection (HAI) under surveillance (pneumonia, bloodstream infection or urinary tract infection).
The 2016–2017 ECDC point prevalence survey was the second EU-wide point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals.
This report is based on data for 2018-2020 retrieved on 13 February 2023 from The European Surveillance System (TESSy) and ECDC’s decentralised data storage for antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections (ARHAI). TESSy is a system for the collection, analysis and dissemination of data on communicable diseases.