Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 6, Issue 20, 16 May 2002

The United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published new guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (1). The guidelines are for physicians and other healthcare providers who prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The latest progress report from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that broadening the requirement to notify WHO, from the present three diseases listed in the regulations (cholera, plague and yellow fever), is central to the revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR) that is under way (1).

This year, a total of 11 899 cases of meningococcal disease (1368 deaths) have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from Burkina Faso (as of 28 April 2002). The epidemic, now on the decline, began in January and has subsequently affected over half the country (1,2). An epidemic of this scale is not in itself unusual in this part of Africa; the major global burden of meningococcal disease is associated with frequent large scale and irregular dry season epidemics in the Sahelian ’meningitis belt,’ causing high morbidity and mortality often in two or three successive years.

The European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) recently posted its 2000-01 annual report to its website (www.eiss.org) (1). EISS is a pan-European influenza surveillance scheme that covers 18 countries (20 surveillance networks) with a total population of 447 million, more than 10 600 sentinel physicians, and 25 national influenza reference laboratories.