Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 8, Issue 44, 28 October 2004

On 18 October 2004, a Thai man travelling from Bangkok to Brussels was apprehended by customs officials at Brussels international airport, and found to be illegally carrying two mountain hawk eagles (Spizaetus Nipalensis) in his hand luggage

Another case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has been identified by the surveillance system set up by the Institut de Veille Sanitaire and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in France. This is the eighth case to have been identified in France since 1996

Three patients in Ireland have been confirmed as having been infected with Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus (PVL+ MSSA).

In recent years, rising incidence of sexually transmitted infections, including several outbreaks of infectious syphilis cases, have been reported in major European cities. Around 80% of the cases of infectious syphilis in these outbreaks were diagnosed in men who have sex with men (MSM) engaging in high risk behaviour