Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an intestinal infection usually acquired in hospital settings, after antibiotic treatment. The clinical spectrum of CDI ranges from mild diarrhoea to severe life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis. In the recent years, an increased incidence of CDI has been reported in Europe and worldwide.
Two official evaluations have been made by the national Ministry of Health of Spain of their country’s response to the 2009 influenza pandemic. The reviews focused on two particular topics - Surveillance and Vaccines and Antivirals.
At a special joint session combining experts from the National Microbiology Focal Points and ECDC's Advisory Forum, ECDC Director, Dr. Marc Sprenger, set out his vision for the agency’s role in strengthening public health microbiology across Europe: By 2016, ECDC will foster the development and facilitate the operation of an efficient public health microbiology system capable of providing timely and reliable information for infectious disease prevention and control at Member State and EU levels
The authors describe the epidemiology of invasive Hib and nontype b H. influenzae infections in children <15 years of age in the United Kingdom from 1994 until 2008, and show that the resurgence in Hib disease during the years 1999-2003 did not affect the epidemiology of invasive nontype b H. influenzae disease in children, which provides further support against serotype replacement.
Objectives: Acquire skills in outbreak investigation methods, planning, establishment and evaluation of surveillance systems, applied research, communication and teaching
On the occasion of the European Respiratory Society’s (ERS) Annual Congress in Amsterdam, ECDC and ERS today introduce a draft of the EU Standards for Tuberculosis Care (ESTC).
The ERS Annual Congress brings together the world's respiratory experts and professionals to meet, exchange views and share knowledge covering all aspects of respiratory medicine, novelties and most recent data presentations.
In response to antimicrobial resistance and to strengthened transatlantic cooperation as agreed during the 2009 EU and US Summit, the Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance (TATFAR) published its report today, including a set of 17 recommendations in three key areas for future cooperation in the global fight to keep antimicrobials effective.