Since January 2022, and as of 11 August 2023, 281 confirmed diphtheria cases, as per the EU case definition (2022: 224 cases, 2023: 57 cases), and four deaths were reported in the EU/EEA.
The situation regarding avian influenza continues to evolve in Europe and globally, with reports of new outbreaks in birds and occasional infections in mammals. Sporadic human infections have been reported in countries outside the EU, while the risk to the public in the EU remains low.
In February 2023, Cambodia reported a family cluster in Sithor Kandal district, Prey Veng province, with two people (a girl and her father) infected with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus.
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.
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.