On the way towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for health, Europe has one important battle to take on: reducing the proportion of those living with undiagnosed HIV and viral hepatitis. Current status in the EU/EEA: one in seven people living with HIV are unaware of their infection, up to four out of 5 people living with hepatitis B and three out of four people with hepatitis C infection have not yet been diagnosed.
This issue covers the period 6-12 October 2019 and includes updates on Ebola virus disease, extensively drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, West Nile virus, mass gathering monitoring (Japan, Rugby World Cup 2019), Poliomyelitis, Measles, Zika virus disease, seasonal influenza, XDR-Typhoid fever.
In 2017, 8.3% (11 787) of the patients who stayed in intensive-care units (ICUs) 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).
ECDC is organising a short course on “Control of multidrug-resistant micro-organisms (MDROs) in health care settings”. This training opportunity is addressed at healthcare professionals from European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries with current or future responsibility for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to MDROs working at national or local level. The course is offered by invitation only and participants are identified through the ECDC Coordinating Competent Bodies.
Targeted testing is an essential element of any strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis across the countries in the European Union and European Economic Area. Some preliminary monitoring results on the response to hepatitis B and C presented around World Hepatitis Day show that diagnosing chronic infections is still a challenge in the EU/EEA.
In 2019, the hajj will take place between 9 and 14 August. The risk for EU/EEA citizens to become infected with communicable diseases during the 2019 hajj is considered low, thanks to the vaccination requirements for travelling to Makkah (Mecca) and the Saudi Arabian preparedness plans that address the management of health hazards during and after hajj.