At the start of European Immunization Week, the ECDC report “Poliomyelitis situation update” reveals that between 2012 and 2021, approximately 2.4 million children in the EU/EEA may have not received three doses of polio-containing vaccines on time. Additionally, the newly published ECDC “Measles Annual Epidemiological Report 2022” highlights the risks when having pockets of an under-vaccinated population or groups not immunised at all.
Immediate health needs following earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria are mostly related to trauma and the disruption of healthcare, however, infectious disease threats may be concerning in the following two to four weeks.
ECDC recommends that healthcare facilities maintain and strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, due to the high community transmission and co-circulation of respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and others. The implementation should be based on an approach that considers all these viruses.
High levels of community transmission and the co-circulation of respiratory viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and others can increase pressure on healthcare systems.
Since the end of October 2022 and as of week 47, several EU/EEA countries have indicated an increase in paediatric hospitalisations due to RSV infections causing bronchiolitis, amidst concurrent circulation of other respiratory pathogens, such as the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses.
The 2022-2023 influenza (flu) season epidemic is off to an early start in the European region as concerns over Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) rise and COVID-19 is still being a threat.