Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 8, Issue 52, 23 December 2004

An increasing number of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks have been reported in the Netherlands since October 2004. The early onset of the ‘winter vomiting disease’ season and the high number of reports are unusual.

The threat of an influenza pandemic has been heightened in the past two years by outbreaks of avian influenza concentrated in South East Asia which have resulted in human deaths. So far, the avian influenza virus seems difficult to transmit from human to human, but changes in the virus genome may well increase transmissibility

Up to December 2004 (weeks 1-48 inclusive), 284 mumps cases were notified to the Irish National Disease Surveillance Centre. This is the greatest number of notifications since 1997 when 285 cases were reported

A project to increase hepatitis B protection in behavioural risk groups and reduce transmission has been operating in the Netherlands since November 2002. Hepatitis B vaccination for these groups is provided by all Community Health Services and 4 of the 6 STI clinics

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the EU drugs agency, has recently published its latest scientific monograph, Hepatitis C and injecting drug use: impact, costs and policy options

The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) is ten years old, and an open day is being held at the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections in London on 18 January 2005 to celebrate this

Following a review of health protection needs in Scotland, a new health protection body, Health Protection Scotland, was created in November 2004

An exhibition at the Museum Boerhaave in Leiden – the Dutch National Museum of Science and Medicine - offers a graphic and informative history of infectious disease in Europe. The Dutch name of the exhibition, Teringzooi, can be translated into English as ‘bloody mess’

The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) is calling for applications to the eleventh cohort, which will begin in autumn 2005.