In 2023, significant increases in the number of measles cases and outbreaks were observed globally, including in 40 of the 53 countries of the European region, and in at least ten EU/EEA countries.
The increase in cases of measles, a highly contagious, but vaccine-preventable disease, is a stark reminder that all Member States should maximise efforts to achieve and maintain high vaccination coverage for all vaccine-preventable diseases.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) the period 4-10 February 2024 and includes updates on avian influenza, measles, MERS-CoV, COVID-19, swine influenza, respiratory virus epidemiology, Western equine encephalitis, Hepatitis E, and the Chinese New Year.
In 2022, 30 EU/EEA countries reported 4 149 confirmed cases of shigellosis. Of those cases with information available on travel history, 48% were associated with travel.
The food-borne infections listeriosis and shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli are increasing in the EU/EEA and were in 2022 at levels higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, 30 EU/EEA countries reported 4 548 cases of hepatitis A. The EU/EEA notification rate was one case per 100 000 population. Twenty EU/EEA countries had notification rates below one case per 100 000 population. The countries with the highest notification rates were Hungary (5.5), Croatia (5.3) Romania (4.8), and Bulgaria (4.4).
For 2022, 29 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries reported 8 565 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection.