Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 10, Issue 20, 19 May 2005

There are indications that the rubella outbreak that started in September 2004 among members of a religious community in the Netherlands has spread to Canada

In May 2005 the World Health Organization (WHO) organised an intercountry consultation in Manila to discuss the implications of an apparent change in the epidemiology of Influenza A (H5N1) infection in Asia

Public health surveillance of STIs began in Poland in 1946, in response to an epidemic of syphilis and gonorrhoea that occurred after the second world war

If HIV infection is detected before or during pregnancy, interventions such as antiretroviral therapy, caesarean section delivery and avoiding breastfeeding have meant that HIV transmission rates from mother to baby can be reduced from around 25% to 1%

Previous surveillance of childhood haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in Scotland has identified Escherichia coli O157 in over 90% of cases, and infection with E. coli O157 is now reported to be one of the major causes of acute renal failure in children