Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 12, Issue 3, 18 January 2007

The vaccination of people who are at high risk of complications from influenza - including pneumococcal infection - is a key public health strategy in most European countries, as it is worldwide. In order to reduce the overall burden of disease during seasonal outbreaks of influenza, an overarching strategy aimed at preventing both influenza infection and its complications is desirable.

Emergence of carbapenem-hydrolysing metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been described worldwide. Infection with MBL-producing strains represents a therapeutic problem due to their resistance to all beta-lactams except monobactams. Several types of MBL enzymes have been identified in P. aeruginosa among which the VIM-type enzymes appear as the most prevalent in Europe with more than 12 allelic variants.

Vaccination is an extremely effective tool in reducing the burden of infectious diseases. There are many vaccine products currently available in Europe. Vaccines developed recently have been introduced according to common European Union (EU)-wide regulatory procedures since 2003, which implies that they are licensed for common indications and population groups across the EU.

A case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has recently been diagnosed in a patient in the United Kingdom (UK), who received a blood transfusion from a donor who later developed vCJD. This is the fourth case of probable transfusion transmission of vCJD infection in the UK. Three of the four recipients developed symptoms of vCJD.

The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) started in 1995. The programme is now funded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and by various European Union member states, Switzerland and Norway. Subject to agreement for another round of funding, the thirteenth cohort of fellows is planned, starting in September 2007.

Independent external evaluators are wanted for projects submitted to the Public Health Programme in 2007. In February, the European Commission’s Public Health Executive Agency (PHEA) will publish the 2007 Work Plan and Call for Proposals under the Public Health Programme 2003-2008, and public health experts may now send their curriculum vitae to be considered as evaluators.