This rapid risk assessment assesses the public health threat of a recently reported cluster of acute fatal encephalitis in three squirrel breeders in Germany, possibly related to an infection with a newly identified bornavirus.
The threat of serious, cross-border infectious disease outbreaks in Europe is a significant challenge in terms of emergency preparedness. In order to effectively target the use of resources to manage the risks of outbreak, it is necessary to formulate rankings or prioritisation of human and/or animal pathogens. This literature review aims to identify the range of methods used to prioritise communicable disease threats for the purposes of emergency preparedness planning.