A pandemic is the rapid spread of a new human influenza around the world. Influenza pandemics happen when a new strain of a flu virus appears which can infect humans, to which most people have no immunity and which can transmit efficiently from human to human.
For 2022, the 30 countries in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) reported a total of 36 179 tuberculosis (TB) cases (8.0 per 100 000 population).
In a report released today, ECDC outlines key strategic and operational considerations to inform preparedness planning around the design and implementation of Public Health and Social Measures (PHSMs) in the EU/EEA for health emergencies and pandemics.
Avian influenza viruses (AIV) remain prevalent among wild bird populations in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA), leading to significant illness in and death of birds.
In a joint report released today, ECDC and EFSA outline the contributing drivers for influenza A(H5N1) viruses to acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, thereby increasing their pandemic potential.
Significant disruptions were observed in HIV-specific services, particularly for in-clinic and community-based HIV testing, according to the ECDC report "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the HIV response in Europe and Central Asia."
At the request of the Slovenian National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), ECDC designed and facilitated an After-Action review (AAR), focusing on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 20 - 26 July and includes updates on Avian influenza A(H5N6), SARS-CoV-2 variant classification, Overview of respiratory virus epidemiology in the EU/EEA, Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), cholera, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Oropouche virus disease, Seasonal surveillance of West Nile virus infections, Mass gathering monitoring - Olympic and Paralympic Games, Nipah virus disease.
This guidance outlines key strategic and operational considerations to inform pandemic preparedness planning round the design and implementation of public health and social measures in community settings in the EU/EEA.
Nearly 7,000 excess deaths from tuberculosis occurred in the WHO European Region in the three years of the pandemic from 2020 - 2022, compared to what experts had expected based on pre-2020 estimates.