Eurosurveillance - Volume 7, Issue 10, 01 October 2002

Five clustered cases of leptospirosis were diagnosed in the area of Rochefort, France, in June 2001, among teenagers who had swum in the Genouillé canal. The symptoms included fever, headache, abdominal pain and vomiting, chills and myalgia. Three cases were confirmed by PCR and serology. The mean cumulative duration of bathing was significanthly higher in cases (23.8 hours) compared to controls (14.4 hours). No other particular risk factor was observed. The environmental investigation revealed the presence of rodents excreting of leptospires near the bathing area. For all antigens considered, the occurence of seropositive rodents was 30.8%, L. icterohaemorrhagiae being the predominant serogroup (23,1%).

An outbreak of trichinellosis by T. britovi occured in Cáceres, Spain, between 18 December 2001 and 11 February 2002, following the consumption of insufficiently cooked meat from a domestic pig. Among the 56 people exposed, 26 cases of trichinellosis were diagnosed, of which 17 serologically confirmed. The mean incubation period was 23.5 days (3–45). Among the foodstuffs suspected, salami-type sausages were associated with an attack rate of 93.3% (14/15), and a dose-response relationship was observed. Trichinella britovi is essentially a sylvatic species, but this study suggests a change in the epidemiology of trichinellosis.

In Antwerp, Belgium, 403 cases of diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning were reported after consumption of blue mussels. Symptoms included diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and nausea. The analysis of faecal specimens from patients allowed diagnosis exclusions for bacteria and viruses. Mouse-assays revealed the presence of biotoxins specific of dinoflagellates, which were identified and quantified by LC-MS. The mussels were imported from Denmark, and were part of a batch presenting high concentrations of okadaic acid above the regulatory limits.

The Statens Serum Institute (SSI) in Denmark celebrated its centenary on 9 September 2002. Conferences were organised on emerging and re-emerging diseases, vaccine development, and the launch of a new website (www.ssi.dk). Inaugurated in 1902 to ensure the production of anti-diphtheria serum, the institute has continuously applied research-based knowledge towards the prevention and control of infectious diseases and congenital disorders. Today, the SSI performs the epidemiological surveillance of infectious diseases, and serves as a laboratory diagnostic reference and training centre. It uses specifically developed diagnostic facilities, and has achieved the development, and production of vaccines, and plasma-based medicines.

Over 300 representatives, including 20 ministers of health, attended the 52nd session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for Europe, which was held from 16 to 19 September in Copenhagen, Denmark. On this occasion the European Health Report 2002 was released. This report confirms the strong links between socioeconomic development, health and equity in the WHO European Region which covers 51 WHO Member States with some 870 million people. While overall levels of health in the Region are among the highest in the world, the report describes widening gaps between and within countries (www.euro.who.int/europeanhealthreport).