Euro SurveillThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the latest items in this publication.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

960 records returned

Interference between outbreaks of respiratory viruses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19883536 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Anestad G, Nordbo SA Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

A foodborne outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis associated with a Christmas dinner in Porto, Portugal, December 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
An outbreak of acute norovirus gastroenteritis was detected and epidemiologically linked to a Christmas dinner reunion of 22 recent graduate students in a restaurant in Porto, Portugal, in December 2008. A retrospective cohort study was carried out using online standardised questionnaires. Sixteen primary and three secondary cases were identified and the risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals for each food item were calculated. The response rate to the online questionnaires was 96%. The outbreak met all four Kaplan s criteria and the attack rate was 73%. Norovirus GII.4 2006b was detected in stools and emesis sample...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Mesquita JR, Nascimento MS Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 vaccines in the European Union.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Pandemic vaccines from four manufacturers are now available for use within the European Union (EU). Use of these vaccines will protect individuals and reduce the impact on health services to more manageable levels. The majority of the severely ill will be from known risk groups and the best strategy will be to start vaccinating in line with the recommendation from the European Union Health Security Committee prioritizing adults and children with chronic conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers. The composition of authorized vaccines is reviewed in this article. The vaccine strain in all authorized pandemic vac...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Johansen K, Nicoll A, Ciancio BC, Kramarz P Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Resistance of turkeys to experimental infection with an early 2009 Italian human influenza A(H1N1)v virus isolate.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We performed an experimental infection of 21- and 70-day-old meat turkeys with an early human isolate of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus exhibiting an alpha-2,3 receptor binding profile. Virus was not recovered by molecular or conventional methods from blood, tracheal and cloacal swabs, lungs, intestine or muscle tissue. Seroconversion was detected in a limited number of birds with the homologous antigen only. Our findings suggest that in its present form, the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus is not likely to be transmitted to meat turkeys and does therefore not represent an animal health or food safety issue for t...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Terregino C, De Nardi R, Nisi R, Cilloni F, Salviato A, Fasolato M, Capua I Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic H1N1 influenza: predicting the course of a pandemic and assessing the efficacy of the planned vaccination programme in the United States.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We use data on confirmed cases of pandemic influenza A(H1N1), disseminated by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(US CDC), to fit the parameters of a seasonally forced Susceptible, Infective, Recovered (SIR) model. We use the resulting model to predict the course of the H1N1 influenza pandemic in autumn 2009, and we assess the efficacy of the planned CDC H1N1 vaccination campaign. The model predicts that there will be a significant wave in autumn, with 63% of the population being infected, and that this wave will peak so early that the planned CDC vaccination campaign will likely not have a lar...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Towers S, Feng Z Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Use of an inactivated vaccine in mitigating pandemic influenza A(H1N1) spread: a modelling study to assess the impact of vaccination timing and prioritisation strategies.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The impact of prioritization and of timing of vaccination strategies on reducing transmission of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) was evaluated in a community with the structure of the Greek population using a stochastic simulation model. Prioritization scenarios were based on the recommendations of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and vaccination was assumed to initiate either before or during the ongoing epidemic. In the absence of intervention, an illness attack rate (AR) of 34.5% is anticipated. Vaccinating the priority groups before the epidemic (p...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Sypsa V, Pavlopoulou I, Hatzakis A Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

The 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza and indigenous populations of the Americas and the Pacific.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There are few structured data available to assess the risks associated with pandemic influenza A(H1N1)v infection according to ethnic groups. In countries of the Americas and the Pacific where these data are available, the attack rates are higher in indigenous populations, who also appear to be at approximately three to six-fold higher risk of developing severe disease and of dying. These observations may be associated with documented risk factors for severe disease and death associated with pandemic H1N1 influenza infection (especially the generally higher prevalence of diabetes, obesity, asthma, chronic obstructive ...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: La Ruche G, Tarantola A, Barboza P, Vaillant L, Gueguen J, Gastellu-Etchegorry M, Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Early transmission characteristics of influenza A(H1N1)v in Australia: Victorian state, 16 May - 3 June 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Australia was one of the first countries of the southern hemisphere to experience influenza A(H1N1)v with community transmission apparent in Victoria, Australia, by 22 May 2009. With few identified imported cases, the epidemic spread through schools and communities leading to 897 confirmed cases by 3 June 2009. The estimated reproduction ratio up to 31 May 2009 was 2.4 (95% credible interval (CI): 2.1-2.6). Methods designed to account for undetected transmission reduce this estimate to 1.6 (95% CI: 1.5-1.8). Time varying reproduction ratio estimates show a steady decline in observed transmission over the first 14 days ...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: McBryde E, Bergeri I, van Gemert C, Rotty J, Headley E, Simpson K, Lester R, Hellard M, Fielding J Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic H1N1 influenza surveillance in Victoria, Australia, April - September, 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Victoria was the first Australian state to report widespread transmission of pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza. Notifiable laboratory-confirmed influenza and a general practitioner sentinel surveillance system measuring influenza-like illness (ILI), including laboratory confirmation of influenza as the cause of ILI, were used to assess the pandemic. The pandemic influenza A(H1N1)v virus quickly became the dominant circulating strain and notification rates were highest in children and young adults. Despite a high number of notified cases, comparison of ILI rates suggested the season peaked in late June, was similar in magnit...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Fielding J, Higgins N, Gregory J, Grant K, Catton M, Bergeri I, Lester R, Kelly H Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Progression and impact of the first winter wave of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza in New South Wales, Australia.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: A range of surveillance systems were used to assess the progression and impact of the first wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza in New South Wales, Australia during the southern hemisphere winter. Surveillance methods included laboratory notifications, near real-time emergency department syndromic surveillance, ambulance despatch surveillance, death certificate surveillance and purpose-built web-based data systems to capture influenza clinic and intensive care unit activity. The epidemic lasted 10 weeks. By 31 August 2009, 1,214 people with pandemic H1N1 influenza infection were hospitalised (17.2 per 100,000 po...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic influenza in a southern hemisphere setting: the experience in Peru from May to September, 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper presents a description of Peru s experience with pandemic H1N1 influenza 2009. It is based on data from four main surveillance systems: a) ongoing sentinel surveillance of influenza-like illness cases with virological surveillance of influenza and other respiratory viruses; b) sentinel surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections and associated deaths; c) surveillance of acute respiratory infections in children under the age of five years and pneumonia in all age groups; and d) case and cluster surveillance. On 9 May 2009, the first confirmed case of pandemic H1N1 influenza in Peru was diagnosed in a ...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Gomez J, Munayco C, Arrasco J, Suarez L, Laguna-Torres V, Aguilar P, Chowell G, Kochel T Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic H1N1 influenza in Brazil: analysis of the first 34,506 notified cases of influenza-like illness with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We report an analysis of the first 34,506 cases of influenza-like illness with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) notified in Brazil during the epidemiological weeks 16 to 33. The 5,747 confirmed cases of pandemic H1N1 influenza showed two incidence peaks across the age span: one in children up to the age of five years (3.8/100,000) and one in individuals aged 20 to 29 years (4.6/100,000). People over the age of 60 had the lowest incidence (1.1/100,000 inhabitants). The epidemic peaked rapidly. Ninety-four percent of cases were concentrated in two of Brazil s five geographic regions - the south and southeast, region...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Oliveira W, Carmo E, Penna G, Kuchenbecker R, Santos H, Araujo W, Malaguti R, Duncan B, Schmidt M, Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Interim report on pandemic H1N1 influenza virus infections in South Africa, April to October 2009: epidemiology and factors associated with fatal cases.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We provide an interim report on pandemic H1N1 influenza activity in South Africa, with a focus on the epidemiology and factors associated with deaths. Following the importation of the virus on 14 July 2009, and the epidemic peak during the week starting 3 August, the incidence in South Africa has declined. A total of 12,331 cases and 91 deaths have been laboratory-confirmed as of 12 October 2009. Age distribution and risk groups were similar to those observed elsewhere. The median age of patients who died (33.5 years) was significantly higher than that of the non-fatal cases (15.0 years, p<0.01). The most common und...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Archer B, Cohen C, Naidoo D, Thomas J, Makunga C, Blumberg L, Venter M, Timothy G, Puren A, McAnerney J, Cengimbo A, Schoub B Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Preliminary analysis of the pandemic H1N1 influenza on Reunion Island (Indian Ocean): surveillance trends (July to mid-September 2009).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We report preliminary epidemiological characteristics of the pandemic on Reunion Island in 2009 until week 37 ending September 13. PMID: 19883550 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Thouillot F, Do C, Balleydier E, Rachou E, Staikowsky F, Morbidelli P, Jacques-Antoine Y, Bourde A, Lagrange-Xelot M, Poubeau P, Winer A, Gauzere B, Michault A, Jaffar-Bandjee M, Henrion G, Filleul L, D Ortenzio E Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic H1N1 influenza lessons from the southern hemisphere.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19883551 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Baker M, Kelly H, Wilson N Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Estimating diagnostic accuracy of tests for latent tuberculosis infection without a gold standard among healthcare workers.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, when used in healthcare workers, in vitro assays may provide a significant increase of specificity for tuberculosis infection compared to TST, even among non vaccinated individuals, at the cost of some sensitivity. PMID: 19883555 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Girardi E, Angeletti C, Puro V, Sorrentino R, Magnavita N, Vincenti D, Carrara S, Butera O, Ciufoli AM, Squarcione S, Ippolito G, Goletti D Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

An outbreak of hospital-acquired Staphylococcus aureus skin infection among newborns, Nan Province, Thailand, January 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In January 2008, we investigated a cluster of neonates with bullous impetigo in a hospital of northern Thailand in order to control the outbreak and identify a potential source of the infection. We reviewed medical records and working timetables of healthcare workers (HCWs) and conducted a case-control study. We performed an environmental study and took bacteriological samples from HCWs and equipments. According to our case definitions, we identified 16 confirmed cases and 14 probable cases. The attack rate was 42%. Most cases had skin blisters (28 cases) followed by pustules (five cases) and exfoliation (three cases)....
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Pawun V, Jiraphongsa C, Puttamasute S, Putta R, Wongnai A, Jaima T, Tithsayatikom P, Wattanasri S Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Applied epidemiology training in Europe: quite a success - but more to be done.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes the development of training in applied epidemiology in Europe and outlines the current situation in Europe with a view of how the system can be improved to meet future challenges. PMID: 19883557 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Krause G, Stefanoff P, Moren A Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

New perspectives after the transition of EPIET to ECDC - the future of the programme.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article examines the achievements of the EPIET programme after its transition to ECDC and provides an outlook on its future. PMID: 19883558 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Bremer V, Bosman A, Coulombier D Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Contribution of EPIET to public health workforce in the EU, 1995-2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We analyse activities and outputs of fellows of the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) between 1995 and 2008 and describe the employment history of graduates after the training to demonstrate the contribution of this programme and of national EPIET-associated programmes to the public health workforce in the European Union and Norway. Up to 2008, some 161 fellows entered the training: 121 in EPIET and 40 in EPIET-associated programmes. Of these 149 were awarded a diploma. Fellows engaged in projects in all areas of surveillance, in outbreaks and field investigations and produced 340 public...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Bosman A, Schimmer B, Coulombier D Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Differences and commonalities of national field epidemiology training programmes in Europe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
From 1994 to 2009, national field epidemiology training programmes (FETP) have been installed in Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Norway. During their two year duration, different components of the FETP are devised as follows: 63-79 weeks are spent on projects in hosting institutes, 2-26 weeks in outside projects, 9-30 weeks in courses and modules, and 1-2 weeks in scientific conferences. A considerable proportion of the Spanish FETP has is provided conventional class room training . The content of the modules is very similar for all programmes. Except from the Italian programme, all focus on infectious disease epidem...
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Krause G, Aavitsland P, Alpers K, Barrasa A, Bremer V, Helynck B, Perra A Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

The European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) - selected papers from the conference 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 19883561 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Building capacity in field epidemiology: lessons learned from the experience in Europe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19883562 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - November 6, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Walke HT, Simone PM Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Authors' correction for Euro Surveill. 2009;14(39).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
ce: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Authors' correction for Euro Surveill. 2009;14(39). Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Authors' correction for Euro Surveill. 2009;14(35).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
ce: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Authors' correction for Euro Surveill. 2009;14(35). Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Google Flu Trends includes 14 European countries.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: Google Flu Trends, a tool that estimates the level of influenza activity in near real-time using aggregated search queries, has been released for 14 countries in Europe on 8 October 2009 by Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google. PMID: 19822118 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Legionnaires disease cluster linked to a metal product aqueous pre-treatment process, Staffordshire, England, May 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In May 2008, a report of two workers from the same construction equipment manufacturing plant who were admitted to hospital with Legionnaires disease confirmed by urine antigen prompted an outbreak investigation. Both cases were middle aged men, smokers, and with no travel, leisure or other common community exposure to Legionella sources. There were no wet cooling towers at the plant or in the surrounding area. No increase in respiratory disease or worker absenteeism occurred at the plant during the preceding month. Wider case ascertainment including alerts to hospitals and medical practitioners yielded no further case...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Coetzee N, Liu W, Astbury N, Williams P, Robinson S, Afza M, Duggal H Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Progress in the surveillance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Europe: 2001-2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surveillance is important to get insight into the burden of disease and epidemic pattern of RSV infection. This information is useful for healthcare resource allocation as well as the timing of preventive messages and palivizumab prophylaxis. For influenza surveillance the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) was established in 1996, but no surveillance platform is available for RSV. To improve surveillance an RSV Task Group was established in 2003 and recommendations for RSV surveillance were developed. By 2008, progress was made for four out of six recommendations: the numb...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Meerhoff T, Mosnier A, Schellevis F, Paget W, Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Measles outbreak in Styria, Austria, March-May 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the last week of March 2009, five measles cases among students of an anthroposophic school were reported to the public health authorities in the Austrian province of Styria where only five cases had been reported in the whole of 2008. A descriptive epidemiological investigation of the measles outbreak was performed. Between 2 March and 10 May 2009, 37 cases of measles were identified in Styria: 33 confirmed outbreak cases and four probable outbreak cases. The measles outbreak spread from the general population (12 cases) to an anthroposophic community (25 cases). Cases outside of the anthroposophic community were mo...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Kasper S, Holzmann H, Aberle S, Wassermann-Neuhold M, Gschiel H, Feenstra O, Allerberger F, Schmid D Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

First isolations of KPC-2-carrying ST258 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in Finland, June and August 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The first two Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing (KPC) type 2 strains carrying ST258 were detected in Finland in June and early August 2009. They were found colonising two patients transferred from the Mediterranean; one patient referred from a hospital in Greece where isolates were first found in 2007 and another from Italy where the first isolates have been described only very recently. PMID: 19822122 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Osterblad M, Kirveskari J, Koskela S, Tissari P, Vuorenoja K, Hakanen A, Vaara M, Jalava J Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

West Nile virus transmission with human cases in Italy, August - September 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In 2009, to date 16 human cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) have been reported in Italy, in three regions: Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia. The number of cases is higher compared with last year when nine cases were identified (eight cases of WNND and one case of West Nile fever) and the geographical distribution indicates spread from east to west. PMID: 19822123 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Rizzo C, Vescio F, Declich S, Finarelli A, Macini P, Mattivi A, Rossini G, Piovesan C, Barzon L, Palu G, Gobbi F, Macchi L, Pavan A, Magurano F, Ciufolini M, Nicoletti L, Salmaso S, Rezza G Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Does viral interference affect spread of influenza?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This short communication hypothesises that rhinovirus epidemics occurring after start of school may interfere with the spread of influenza during the period when warm and humid climate decreases the influenza spread by aerosol. Limited laboratory data supporting this hypothesis are included in the article, but the report is written mainly to stimulate interest and research concerning the possibility that viral interaction may affect influenza epidemiology. PMID: 19822124 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 15, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Linde A, Rotzen-Ostlund M, Zweygberg-Wirgart B, Rubinova S, Brytting M Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Molecular characterisation of PFGE non-typable methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in The Netherlands, 2007.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In 2007 in The Netherlands, 30% of all human isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) sent to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment could not be typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (non-typable (NT)-MRSA). Molecular characterisation of the NT-MRSA isolates revealed 27 different spa types and two distinct SCCmec types, type IV and V. All NT-MRSA isolates were closely related based on spa and multi-locus sequence typing and belonged to the ST398 lineage. The rapid increase of NT-MRSA (ST398) isolates over the last years shows the importance of this relatively new clonal ...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Huijsdens XW, Bosch T, van Santen-Verheuvel MG, Spalburg E, Pluister GN, van Luit M, Heck ME, Haenen A, de Neeling AJ Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Trichinellosis outbreak in Lithuania, Ukmerge region, June 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
An outbreak of trichinellosis due to wild boar meat was detected in Lithuania in June 2009. The outbreak affected 107 people all of whom had consumed sausages made of wild boar meat. Inspection of food samples confirmed the presence of Trichinella larvae in the meat. PMID: 19814957 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Bartuliene A, Liausediene R, Motiejuniene V Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Oseltamivir susceptibility in south-western France during the 2007-8 and 2008-9 influenza epidemics and the ongoing influenza pandemic 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We report the prevalence of the oseltamivir resistance among influenza A viruses circulating in south-western France over the past three years: seasonal influenza A(H1N1), seasonal influenza A(H3N2), and the influenza A(H1N1)v viruses associated with the ongoing 2009 pandemic. The main result of the study is the absence of oseltamivir resistance in the pandemic H1N1 strains studied so far (n=129). PMID: 19814958 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Burrel S, Roncin L, Lafon ME, Fleury H Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Enhanced surveillance of initial cases of pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza in Ireland, April-July 2009.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
From 28 April to 18 July 2009 there were 156 cases of pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza confirmed in Ireland. During this time, Ireland was in containment phase, and detailed case-based epidemiological information was gathered on all cases presenting in the community and acute health care setting. Active case finding was performed among contacts of cases. Eighty percent of cases were in people less than 35 years of age and 86% were imported. The most frequent symptoms were fever, sore throat, myalgia and dry cough. Nine people were hospitalized, no fatalities occurred. PMID: 19814959 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Martin J, O'Donnell J, Igoe D, O'Hora A, Thornton L, Murphy N, Cullen G, Fitzgerald M, Cotter S, McKeown P, O'Flanagan D, Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

ECDC in collaboration with the VAESCO consortium to develop a complementary tool for vaccine safety monitoring in Europe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 19814961 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Laboratory support for the diagnosis and surveillance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Eastern Europe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This report outlines the proceedings of the 4th Annual Meeting of the Eastern European Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health (EE SRH Network) [1,2], which took place at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden between 30 May and 3 June, 2009. PMID: 19814962 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Domeika M, Unemo M, Ballard RC, Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Results of a vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy, March-December 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sexually transmitted diseases caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) are being diagnosed more frequently than others. It is accepted that HPV infection is a necessary cause for all cases of cervical carcinoma and a large number of other anogenital and oral cancers. Two vaccines have been developed and were licensed in 2007, which can prevent infections and pre-cancerous lesions due to HPV. In Italy pre-adolescent age (12 years-old) was identified as the ideal age for vaccination against HPV. In Liguria, the first free HPV vaccination campaign was started on 8 March 2008 in 12 year-old girls. We assessed the adherence to ...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Lugarini J, Maddalo F Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Ongoing rubella outbreak in Bosnia and Herzegovina, March-July 2009--preliminary report.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Between 24 March and 31 July 2009, 342 clinically diagnosed cases of rubella were notified in five municipalities in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Fourteen cases were laboratory-confirmed by positive IgG against rubella virus. Four virus isolates were obtained and identified as genotype 2B strains, with one isolate differing by a single mutation in the region of the E1 gene. This ongoing outbreak revealed gaps in the immunisation programme during the war in BiH (1992-1995) and highlights the need to revise legislation to permit immunisation of children above 14 years of age with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Novo A, Huebschen JM, Muller CP, Tesanovic M, Bojanic J Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Early estimates of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus activity in general practice in France: incidence of influenza-like illness and age distribution of reported cases.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the end of August 2009, an unusually elevated level of influenza-like illness (ILI) activity was reported to the French Sentinel Network. We quantified the observed excess in ILI cases in France during summer 2009 and characterised age patterns in reported cases. An excess of cases has been observed since 5 July, with a time increasing trend. The cumulated estimated excess number of ILI cases was 269,935 [179,585; 316,512], corresponding to 0.5% French population over the period. Compared to the same period in the past years, relative cumulated incidence was greater among young subjects and lower among subjects over...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Turbelin C, Pelat C, Boëlle PY, Lévy-Bruhl D, Carrat F, Blanchon T, Hanslik T Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Residual immunity in older people against the influenza A(H1N1)--recent experience in northern Spain.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus has a higher incidence in children and young adults, a pattern that has also been reported in seasonal influenza caused by the influenza A(H1N1)virus. We analysed age at infection in symptomatic patients with influenza in the Basque Country (northern Spain), reported through the sentinel influenza surveillance system which monitors 2.2-2.5%of the population. Between September 1999 and August 2009,influenza A(H3N2) or seasonal influenza A(H1N1) was detected in 941 patients, and from April to August 2009, pandemic influenza A(H1N1) was detected in 112 patients. The H3/H1 seasonal...
Source: Euro Surveill - October 11, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Pérez-Trallero E, Piñeiro L, Vicente D, Montes M, Cilla G Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Pandemic alert level 6: scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic fulfilled.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 19531339 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - September 24, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Application of RT-PCR for diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus infections in Bulgaria, 2006-7 and 2007-8.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe here the results of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during two consecutive seasons, from December 2006 to February 2007 and from October 2007 to March 2008, performed in the National Laboratory of Influenza and Acute Respiratory Diseases, Bulgaria. A total number of 278 nasopharyngeal samples obtained from hospitalised children up to the age of five years were investigated for these two seasons. During the first season, the aetiological role of RSV was confirmed in 56 of 148 samples (37.8%) compared to 11 of 130 samples (8.5%) during the se...
Source: Euro Surveill - September 24, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Pavlova S, Hadzhiolova T, Abadjieva P, Kotseva R Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

A methodological approach to investigating a nationwide clinical specimen contamination problem in England.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe the methods used during the outbreak investigation in order to provide infection control specialists with an overview of how such national incidents may be investigated. We surveyed the hospitals reporting the contamination problem and conducted microbiological and environmental sampling. We applied analytical epidemiology to supply chain data, comparing the supply lines of key equipment to affected and unaffected hospitals in England. The survey was useful to describe procedures and equipment in use in the hospitals reporting the problem. The microbiological aspects of the investigation helped us understand ho...
Source: Euro Surveill - September 24, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Pezzoli L, Campbell C, Lamagni TL, Johnson E, Saei A, Duckworth G Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Enhanced influenza surveillance on Réunion Island (southern hemisphere) in the context of the emergence of influenza A(H1N1)v.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Enhanced influenza surveillance on Réunion Island (southern hemisphere) in the context of the emergence of influenza A(H1N1)v. Euro Surveill. 2009;14(23):19239 Authors: D'Ortenzio E, Do C, Renault P, Weber F, Filleul L With the winter season on the southern hemisphere that starts in Reunion Island in June seasonal influenza activity usually increases shortly afterwards. The new influenza A(H1N1)v virus is rapidly spreading worldwide and may reach the island during the coming winter season. We have therefore enhanced influenza surveillance to detect the introduction of influenza A(H1N1)v, monitor its spread...
Source: Euro Surveill - September 24, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: D'Ortenzio E, Do C, Renault P, Weber F, Filleul L Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Preliminary analysis of influenza A(H1N1)v individual and aggregated case reports from EU and EFTA countries.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: Since the first importation of influenza A(H1N1)v virus to Europe in late April of this year, surveillance data have been collected in the Member States of the European Union and European Free Trade Association. This is the first preliminary analysis of aggregated and individual data available as of 8 June 2009 at European level. PMID: 19531343 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - September 24, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Biogeographical origin and varicella risk in the adult immigration population in Catalonia, Spain (2004-2006).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Immigrants to the European Union may have a higher susceptibility to varicella-zoster virus primo-infection than the indigenous population. There is no evidence as yet that this is caused by genetic or social factors. Therefore, susceptibility could be due to a lesser transmission of the virus in their ecosystems of origin. A multicentre observational study was performed from July 2004 to June 2006 in four primary healthcare centres in Catalonia, Spain, monitoring varicella incidences and comparing standardised incidence rates and standardised rate ratios among different populations classified according to their biogeo...
Source: Euro Surveill - September 20, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Valerio L, Escribá JM, Fernández-Vázquez J, Roca C, Milozzi J, Solsona L, Molina I Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae with reduced cefotaxime susceptibility is increasingly common in men who have sex with men, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) treatment. Presently, third-generation parenteral cephalosporins, like ceftriaxone and cefotaxime, are the first option. Resistance to oral, but not to parenteral, third-generation cephalosporins has been reported previously. We analysed the microbial susceptibility (as minimum inhibitory concentration - MIC) of NG cultures obtained from high-risk visitors of the largest Dutch outpatient clinic for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Among 1,596 visitors, we identified 102 patients with at least one NG isola...
Source: Euro Surveill - September 20, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: de Vries HJ, van der Helm JJ, Schim van der Loeff MF, van Dam AP Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals

Economic consequences to society of pandemic H1N1 influenza 2009 - preliminary results for Sweden.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Experiments using a microsimulation platform show that vaccination against pandemic H1N1 influenza is highly cost-effective. Swedish society may reduce the costs of pandemic by about SEK 2.5 billion (approximately EUR 250 million) if at least 60 per cent of the population is vaccinated, even if costs related to death cases are excluded. The cost reduction primarily results from reduced absenteeism. These results are preliminary and based on comprehensive assumptions about the infectiousness and morbidity of the pandemic, which are uncertain in the current situation. PMID: 19761738 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Euro Surveill)
Source: Euro Surveill - September 20, 2009 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Brouwers L, Cakici B, Camitz M, Tegnell A, Boman M Tags: Euro Surveill Source Type: journals