Pertussis is an endemic disease in the EU/EEA and worldwide. Every three to five years, larger epidemics are expected even with high vaccination coverage.
As of 30 August 2018, Algeria has reported 74 confirmed cholera cases from six northern and coastal areas of the country. This is the first cholera outbreak reported in Algeria in more than 20 years.
This rapid risk assessment addresses the public health risk associated with the early occurrence of a large number of West Nile virus infections in the EU/EEA and EU neighbouring countries in 2018.
The production of this rapid risk assessment was triggered by a report by the Czech Republic of two travelassociated cases of cholera from Zanzibar (Tanzania) and the cholera epidemics in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden.
Illnesses caused by infectious diseases are common in children in schools or other childcare settings. Currently there is no common EU approach to the control of communicable diseases in schools or other childcare settings, and existing information is uncertain.
This Rapid Risk Assessment focuses on acellular pertussis-containing combination vaccines used in national vaccination programmes in the EU/EEA Member States.
Early in 2015, a shortage of acellular pertussis-containing vaccines was brought to the attention of ECDC. This risk assessment provides a detailed list of mitigation options available to Member States.
The recent floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia caused substantial damage. Following the floods, there is a risk of increased transmission of vector-borne infections to the populations.
West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen whose ecology and epidemiology extend across multiple interfaces. As the epidemiology and transmission cycle of WNV is complex, assessing the risk of WNV being transmitted to humans is not always straightforward. Therefore, the WNV risk assessment tool has been developed to provide operational guidance in support of the risk assessment process.
Within the context of the West Nile virus outbreaks, an ECDC mission was conducted at the end of the transmission season to support the Greek authorities regarding further response and prevention activities on West Nile virus infections.