This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 22-28 October 2023 and includes updates on poliomyelitis, SARS-CoV-2, West Nile virus, the Rugby World Cup 2023, and cryptosporidiosis cases.
The Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), led by WHO, is used for the international virological and epidemiological surveillance of human influenza.
Seasonal influenza is a vaccine-preventable disease and annual influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. ECDC continues to emphasise that all Europeans who are recommended to have the influenza vaccine should get vaccinated.
The clinical surveillance of influenza in the European Influenza Surveillance Network (EISN) is generally based on reports made by sentinel general practitioners. Some of the sentinel surveillance systems also include paediatricians and physicians with other specialisations. The physicians usually represent 1-5% of physicians working in the country or region.
From 1 January–24 October 2023, 335 laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 cases belonging to three distinct microbiological clusters have been reported in 14 EU/EEA countries, the United Kingdom and the United States, affecting all age groups.
Since the beginning of the 2023 transmission season and as of 25 October 2023, EU/EEA countries have reported 673 human cases of WNV infection. Since the beginning of the 2023 transmission season, 128 outbreaks among equids and 231 outbreaks among birds have been reported by EU/EEA countries.