Eurosurveillance - Volume 13, Issue 48, 27 November 2008

The 1 December, known as World AIDS Day since 1988, provides an occasion to raise awareness and take stock of the latest developments in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic.

In Italy the first occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection was reported in Tuscany region during the late summer of 1998. In August 2008, the WNV infection re-emerged in Italy, in areas surrounding the Po river delta, and involving three regions Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Veneto. WNV was isolated from blood and organs samples of one horse, one donkey, one pigeon (Columba livia) and three magpies (Pica pica). The phylogenetic analysis of the isolates, conducted on 255 bp in the region coding for the E protein, indicates that these isolates belong to the lineage I among the European strains. According to the analysis, both the 1998 and 2008 Italian strains as well as isolates from Romania, Russia, Senegal and Kenya fell in the same sub-cluster.

An ongoing outbreak of scabies in and outside a nursing home in Amsterdam is described. Despite standard treatment with lindane and ivermectin, many recurrences were observed which suggested resistance to these drugs. After treatment with 5% permethrine, the patients were finally cured.

Behavioural surveys among men who have sex with men (MSM) are important for HIV surveillance. The Danish 2006 Sex Life Survey was carried out as a self administered questionnaire, which was distributed at gay venues and bars and posted on the internet. The questionnaire was completed by 3,141 MSM. We describe the methods, the respondent group and the results of the 2006 Sex Life Survey, and discuss it implications. The main finding of this survey is that 33% of the respondents have practised unsafe sex, defined as unprotected anal intercourse with one or more partners of different or unknown HIV status. In the three previous Sex Life Surveys of 2000, 2001 and 2002, this figure was between 26% and 28%.

In response to an alert raised due to epidemic exanthematous rashes in children in a kindergarten, an outbreak investigation was carried out in a municipality in the north of Portugal in late spring 2008. The intention was to establish an aetiological diagnosis and take corrective measures if necessary. The warden at the kindergarten was interviewed, and a self-administered questionnaire was given to parents and staff. Blood samples from seven children with facial erythema were collected for serological investigation. Seventeen cases of erythema infectiosum, due to infection with parvovirus B19, were identified and classified as 'confirmed'. No cases occurred among the eight adult staff members. An overall attack rate of 38% was observed among the 45 children (born in 2002 and 2003). All cases were mild and without fever. This parvovirus B19 outbreak made it possible to estimate the basic reproduction number (R₀) at between 6 and 8 (or above). Staff members, parents and local clinicians were informed that the infection could pose a risk when caught by people with special clinical conditions. All children had received one dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and 60% had received two doses. The seven children with serologically confirmed parvovirus B19 infection were immune to measles and rubella. All seven were negative for measles- or rubella-specific IgM. .