On 20 December 2016, ECDC and EFSA published a joint rapid outbreak assessment describing a cluster of six laboratory-confirmed German and Spanish cases of foodborne botulism caused by botulinum neurotoxin type E which occurred during November and December 2016. All of the six patients had consumed dried and salted roach, a fresh and brackish water fish (Rutilus rutilus).
ECDC promotes the performance of external quality assessment (EQA) schemes, in which laboratories are sent simulated clinical specimens or bacterial isolates for testing by routine or reference laboratory methods. EQA schemes, or laboratory proficiency testing, provide information about the accuracy of different characterisation and typing methods as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and the sensitivity of the methods in place to detect a certain pathogen or novel resistance patterns.
Annual Epidemiological Report for Botulism, 2014. ECDC’s annual surveillance reports provide a wealth of epidemiological data to support decision-making at the national level. They are mainly intended for public health professionals and policymakers involved in disease prevention and control programmes.
This toolkit aims to support infection prevention in schools, with a focus on gastrointestinal diseases, by assisting EU/EEA countries in their communication initiatives for disease prevention in school settings.
This toolkit aims to support infection prevention in schools, with a focus on gastrointestinal diseases, by assisting EU/EEA countries in their communication initiatives for disease prevention in school settings.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 7 May - 13 May 2017 and includes updates on influenza, measles, hepatitis A, cholera, type E botulism, yellow fever and Legionnaires' disease.