Eurosurveillance - Volume 17, Issue 10, 08 March 2012

In January 2012, a case of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) has been identified in Germany in a traveller returning from the Masai Mara area in Kenya. The 62-year-old man had travelled to the Masai Mara game park from 18 to 19 January 2012 and developed fever on 28 January. The infection with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense was confirmed by laboratory testing three days hereafter.

A Belgian traveller was diagnosed with human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) due to Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense nine days after visiting the Masai Mara area in Kenya. He presented with an inoculation chancre and was treated with suramin within four days of fever onset. Two weeks earlier, HAT was also reported in a German traveller who had visited the Masai Mara area. Because no cases have occurred in the area for over 12 years, this may indicate a focal cluster of HAT.

In February 2012 a rabid puppy dog was imported into Amsterdam, the Netherlands from Morocco via Spain. In a joint action between the Netherlands' Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the Public Health Service of Amsterdam and the Centre for Infectious Disease Control all exposed human and animal contacts were traced and, when necessary, provided with post-exposure prophylaxis. During the importation, the international legislations with respect to vaccination requirements were not fully obeyed by veterinarians and custom services.

In common with reports from other European countries, we describe a substantial increase in the number of laboratory reports of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Scotland in 2010 and 2011. The highest number of reports came from those aged one year and younger. However, reports from young children were more likely to come from PCR testing than serological testing.