Eurosurveillance - Volume 18, Issue 1, 03 January 2013

Following a suspected case of hantavirus in a patient suffering from acute kidney injury, rodents from the patient's property in Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom (UK) were screened for hantaviruses. Hantavirus RNA was detected via RT-PCR in two Rattus norvegicus. Complete sequencing and phylogenetic analysis established the virus as a Seoul hantavirus, which we have provisionally designated as strain Humber. This is the first hantavirus isolated from wild rodents in the UK and confirms the presence of a pathogenic Seoul virus in Europe. .

Globally, surveillance systems showed an increase in norovirus activity in late 2012. Molecular data shared through the NoroNet network suggest that this increase is related to the emergence of a new norovirus genotype II.4 variant, termed Sydney 2012. Healthcare institutions are advised to be prepared for a severe norovirus season.