Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 6, Issue 12, 21 March 2002

Since November 2001, as in the previous year, several outbreaks of measles have been reported to the German notification system for infectious diseases. These outbreaks have been reported from the states of Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine Westphalia.

The Gezondheidsraad (Health Council) in the Netherlands was asked to advise the minister of health on the revision and possible expansion of the national vaccination programme, and consequently published a recommendation on universal vaccination against infections with group C meningococci and pneumococci recently (1).

No case of cholera has been notified since 1986 in the Czech Republic. Recently, however, we have confirmed two strains of Vibrio cholerae O1 from two unrelated cases of cholera imported into the country.

Health ministers met in London on 14 March to make progress with the coordinated international initiative to improve global health security (http://tap.ccta.gov.uk/doh/intpress.nsf/page/2002-0132?OpenDocument). The aim is to better prepare for and respond to acts of chemical, biological, and radionuclear terrorism. Ministers, secretaries, and senior officials from the European Union, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan were involved.

As part of their description of an outbreak of vancomycin, now more usually termed glycopeptide, resistant enterococci (GRE) in a Dutch hospital published in last week’s British Medical Journal, Ridwan and colleagues explore what should be done to prevent spread in European hospitals (1).