ABSTRACT
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has recently published a strategic plan and surveillance guidelines for measles and congenital rubella infection. The strategy prioritizes measles control activities but encourages the introduction of rubella vaccine when measles vaccine coverage has reached >90 %; although, many western European countries with suboptimal measles vaccine coverage are already using the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Women in these countries may have an especially high risk of having an infant with congenital rubella syndrome. WHO is seeking to improve the surveillance for rubella and congenital rubella syndrome as a means to obtain better information on the burden of these diseases and engage policy decision makers in the need to support the WHO European Region's strategies for rubella.
Subject(s)
Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/prevention & control , Europe , Health Promotion , Humans , Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/epidemiology , Rubella Vaccine , World Health OrganizationABSTRACT
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has recently published a strategic plan and surveillance guidelines for measles and congenital rubella infection. The strategy prioritises measles control activities but encourages the introduction of rubella vaccine when measles vaccine coverage has reached >90 %; although, many western European countries with suboptimal measles vaccine coverage are already using the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Women in these countries may have an especially high risk of having an infant with congenital rubella syndrome. WHO is seeking to improve the surveillance for rubella and congenital rubella syndrome as a means to obtain better information on the burden of these diseases and engage policy decision makers in the need to support the WHO European Region's strategies for rubella.
ABSTRACT
The WHO strategy for measles elimination in Europe includes the strengthening of surveillance and immunisation programmes in collaboration with European specific networks (EUVAC.NET and CCEE-Baltic) and Member States.
Subject(s)
Measles Vaccine/therapeutic use , Measles virus/immunology , Measles/prevention & control , Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/prevention & control , Rubella Vaccine/therapeutic use , Rubella virus/immunology , World Health Organization , Age Distribution , Antibodies, Viral/biosynthesis , Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control , Disease Outbreaks/statistics & numerical data , Europe/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Immunization Programs , Incidence , Measles/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/prevention & control , Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/epidemiology , Sentinel SurveillanceABSTRACT
This report describes a survey of national laboratory capabilities of diagnostics and surveillance databases for foodborne viruses among the "Foodborne Viruses in Europe" consortium. All the countries have laboratories that can test for HAV antibody in human serum. Eight of the ten surveyed European countries maintain a national database of HAV cases. Food can be tested for the presence of HAV in Finland, Italy, Spain, France and Denmark. All surveyed countries have at least one laboratory that tests for Norwalk-like virus (NLV) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and all also have the capability to use electron microscopy. Five countries maintain a national database of NLV cases and nine maintain a national database of NLV outbreaks. Almost all participant countries have laboratories that can test for NLV in food items including shellfish.
