Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 12, Issue 34, 23 August 2007

The National Health Service’s (NHS) Greater Glasgow and Clyde Public Health Protection Unit is currently investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157 infection in Paisley.

In mid-January 2007, three family members from Bavaria came down with typical symptoms for trichinellosis after visiting relatives in Romania (Arad district) during the Christmas holidays.

In mid-August, several children at a day-care centre in a suburb to Stockholm developed diarrhoea. Faecal samples showed presence of cryptosporidia.

Human seasonal influenza occurs in the northern and southern hemispheres in epidemics in the colder months of the year. These vary annually in their mix of viruses (which constantly evolve), the severity of the illness and the ‘fit’ with the vaccine composition, which is reviewed annually by the World Health Organization (WHO) for each hemisphere.