-
Annual theme 2025: vaccine-preventable diseases in humans — today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities Submit your articles now
-
Diversity and inclusion in research and scholarly publishing Join our seminar at ESCAIDE 2024
-
Explaining your work in a clear, accessible way - the key public health message box
Click for more info
-
Three open-access e-learning resources for peer review to evaluate studies' aims, completeness and diversity.
Enrol here
Eurosurveillance
Since 1995, Eurosurveillance has provided the European public health community with an open-access platform to exchange relevant findings on communicable disease surveillance, prevention and control. A weekly, electronic, peer-reviewed publication, Eurosurveillance aims to provide timely facts and guidance for public health professionals and decision-makers in the field of infectious disease to facilitate the implementation of effective prevention and control measures. Impact factor: 9.9. More...
Latest Issue: Volume 29, Issue 43, 24 October 2024 Latest Issue RSS feed
- Surveillance
-
-
-
Increasing trends in hepatitis E hospitalisations in Spain, 1997 to 2019
More LessBackgroundHepatitis E, a viral hepatitis caused mainly by the ingestion of raw or undercooked food, is not a notifiable disease in Spain.
AimTo analyse the temporal trends, epidemiological characteristics and factors associated with severe disease from hepatitis E hospitalisations in Spain from 1997 to 2019.
MethodsHospitalisation records were obtained from the Spanish National Hospital Discharge Database. Temporal trends and seasonality were analysed by Poisson regression in years 1997–2015 and 2016–19, given changes in hospital discharge databases. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with severe disease.
ResultsHepatitis E hospitalisation incidence increased from 0.22 cases per 1,000,000 inhabitants in 1997 to a maximum of 2.95 in 2018. Seasonality was observed during 2016–19 period, with more cases in the second and third quarters of the year. The incidence was higher in men vs women, and in the population aged over 40 years. Factors independently associated with death were age ≥ 50 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.43), chronic liver disease (aOR: 4.29), HIV infection (aOR: 3.00) and hepatitis B/C (aOR: 2.11).
ConclusionsHepatitis E hospitalisations have increased in Spain in recent years, being more severe in cases with older age, chronic hepatic diseases and HIV infection. A greater incidence in men over 40 years and a possible seasonality were observed. Further studies are needed to assess the seasonality, geographical distribution and impact of the disease to guide public health actions for prevention and control.
-
- Top
-
- Research
-
-
-
Contact behaviour before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands: evidence from contact surveys, 2016 to 2017 and 2020 to 2023
BackgroundThe first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was largely mitigated by limiting contacts in the general population. In early 2022, most contact-reducing measures were lifted.
AimTo assess whether the population has reverted to pre-pandemic contact behaviour and how this would affect transmission potential of a newly emerging pathogen.
MethodsWe compared two studies on contact behaviour in the Netherlands: the PIENTER Corona study, conducted during and after the pandemic (held every 2–6 months from April 2020) and the PIENTER3 study (2016–17, as pre-pandemic baseline). In both, participants (ages 1–85 years) reported number and age group of all face-to-face persons contacted on the previous day in a survey. Transmission potential was examined using the next-generation matrix approach.
ResultsWe found an average of 15.4 (95% CI: 14.3–16.4) community contacts per person per day after the pandemic in May 2023, 13% lower than baseline (17.8; 95% CI: 17.0–18.5). Among all ages, children (5–9 years) had the highest number of contacts, both pre- and post-pandemic. Mainly adults aged 20–59 years had not reverted to pre-pandemic behaviours, possibly because they more often work from home. Although the number of contacts is lower compared to the pre-pandemic period, the effect on transmission potential of a newly emerging respiratory pathogen is limited if all age groups were equally susceptible.
ConclusionContinuous monitoring of contacts can signal changes in contact patterns and can define a ‘new normal’ baseline. Both aspects are needed to prepare for a future pandemic.
-
- Top
-
- Perspective
-
-
-
Developing a European framework for the prevention of communicable diseases: three points for attention
The capacity to deliver programmes that prevent and control infectious diseases is a key public health function. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) aims to support and strengthen this capacity in European Union/ European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries as part of its 2021–27 strategy which includes explicit attention to social and behavioural aspects of disease prevention. To achieve its strategic goals, it is important that ECDC improves its knowledge of prevention strategies, actors and activities in EU/EEA countries. In this Perspective, we summarise three challenges to implementing the prevention framework proposed by ECDC: (i) defining, recognising and identifying with ‘prevention’, (ii) integrating new understandings into established ways of thinking, and (iii) the need for more attention to prevention in governance. These challenges are derived from the findings of a project which conducted a preliminary mapping of prevention actors, networks and activities in four EU countries to support the development of a community of practice within the new ECDC prevention framework. This Perspective serves to draw attention to this prevention framework and the three identified challenges for those working on its implementation.
-
- Top
-
- Author's correction
- Miscellaneous
-
Recent articles
-
-
-
Monkeypox Clade Ib virus introduction into Burundi: first findings, July to mid-August 2024
Néhémie Nzoyikorera , Cassien Nduwimana , Leonard Schuele , David F Nieuwenhuijse , Marion Koopmans , Saria Otani , Frank M Aarestrup , Théogène Ihorimbere , Denis Niyomwungere , Armstrong Ndihokubwayo , Idrissa Diawara , Alexis Niyomwungere , Dionis Nizigiyimana , Marie Noelle Uwineza , Bas B Oude Munnink and Joseph Nyandwi
-
-
- More Less