Eurosurveillance

BACKGROUNDOn 14 August 2024, WHO Director-General declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) following a sharp increase in mpox cases linked to the emergence of monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade Ib. We characterise imported and autochthonous cases of MPXV clade I reported in the WHO European Region since August 2024. METHODSBetween 14 August 2024 and 23 November 2025, we collected key information of MPXV clade I infections reported by member states of the WHO European Region...

BackgroundSerotype 3 (S3) has remained a major cause of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) despite its inclusion in 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). In October 2023, a 15-valent PCV (PCV15) including S3 was introduced into the Catalan universal childhood immunization program. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective pre-post surveillance study to compare pediatric IPD incidence in Catalonia during a pre-PCV15 period (October 1, 2022-September 30, 2023) and two post-PCV15 periods (Oct...

Since the cessation of real-time monitoring of COVID-19 hospitalizations in early 2024, the burden of and vaccine effectiveness (VE) against severe COVID-19 in the Netherlands was largely unknown. Recently, hospitalization data from 2024 were made available for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. These data were linked to the population registry, vaccination registry and healthcare use data (for classification into medical risk groups). We analyzed the n...

BackgroundNorovirus causes substantial burden to healthcare systems. England experienced high activity in recent seasons alongside a shift in the dominant genotype from GII.4 to GII.17. It remains unclear whether this increased burden reflects changes in severity or other transmission mechanisms associated with the strain replacement. MethodsIndividual-level testing and mortality data in England from 2022/23-2024/25 seasons were linked from national surveillance systems. Piece-wise exponential ...

BackgroundHealthcare-associated carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) outbreaks are a major healthcare challenge. Epidemiological studies have identified patient-level risk factors for CPE transmission, and genomic studies have highlighted high-risk lineages or mobile genetic elements (MGEs); however, a unified dissemination risk-prediction framework is lacking. ObjectivesTo synthesise available data on epidemiological, microbiological and genomic risk factors to quantify healthcare-as...

Background and objectiveRespiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) can cause severe illness in adults, leading to respiratory and non-respiratory complications, functional decline, hospitalisation, and death. This study describes French patients aged [≥]50 years hospitalised with RSV (2015-2022) and their care pathways, including hospitalisation and outpatient healthcare use and costs. MethodsData were extracted from the French National Health Data System (SNDS). Patients were classified into four ri...

BackgroundInitial reports from the Netherlands indicate a decline in routine childhood vaccination uptake during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with emerging evidence of reduced parental vaccine confidence. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine childhood vaccination uptake. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective nationwide cohort study including all children born in the Netherlands in 2016-2024. First-dose DTaP-IPV vaccination status by age six mon...

ObjectiveWest Nile virus lineage 2 (WNV-2) is a growing public health concern in Europe causing West Nile fever or West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) with substantial morbidity and mortality; however, genomic data from Southern Italy are limited despite recent expansion of autochthonous transmission. The aim of the study was to characterise the phylogenetic and molecular features of the WNV-2 strain responsible for the first autochthonous human infection reported in Calabria (2023), and two ...

Automated outbreak detection can enhance infectious disease surveillance by enabling early identification of outbreaks and supporting timely public health measures. However, information on its current use by national public health institutes (NPHI) remains limited. This paper provides an updated and extended overview of automated outbreak detection usage in the European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK). Key findings were gathered through the Joint Action United4Surveillance via an online surve...

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has had profound and multifaceted impacts on children and adolescents, exposing and deepening pre-existing inequalities while creating unique health, social, and educational challenges. In response to the limited evidence-based knowledge available, the SEROCoV-KIDS study was launched in 2021 as a prospective cohort and biobank to assess the pandemics effects on youth health and well-being. It focuses on the general population of Geneva, Switzerland, as well as subgro...

ImportanceRecent reports have highlighted an intense influenza activity related to the circulation of the influenza A(H3N2) subclade k variant. There is no data available on the impact of the emergence of H3N2 subclade k on the severity of the 2025-2026 epidemic or on the clinical phenotype of patients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). ObjectiveTo compare the clinical presentation, hospital mortality and virological characteristics of patients with laboratory-confirmed influ...

ObjectivesPneumococcal surveillance typically focuses on invasive disease (IPD), collecting limited clinical data. We used a longitudinal adult cohort of IPD and non-invasive pneumococcal disease (non-IPD) patients in three hospitals between 2006-22, to describe clinical disease, including site of infection, and serotype distribution. MethodsThe demographics of IPD and non-IPD were compared and survival analysis performed. Features of IPD in different sites were compared and serotype distributi...

BackgroundThe never-ending emergence of superbugs casts a shadow over the victorious age of antibiotics. In fact, the triumph of antibiotics was previously viewed in retrospection as our final victory over bacteria. Bacteria like Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Escherichia coli are now raising an alarming number of infections across hospitals and communities around the globe. The objective was to evaluate the implications for antimicrobial stewardship based on identifying the...

ObjectivesPeriodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is the most common autoinflammatory disorder of childhood, characterized by recurrent febrile episodes driven by dysregulated innate immune activation. Although genetic susceptibility contributes to disease risk, environmental modifiers remain poorly defined. Vaccinations may induce long-lasting modulation of innate immune responses and influence PFAPA incidence. We aimed to assess whether childhoo...

ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the prevalence of antibiotic post-exposure prophylaxis (STI PEP) use among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in England, and to identify demographic and behavioural factors associated with STI PEP use among early adopters. MethodsWe synthesised individual-level data from nine surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024. To harmonise variables that differed subtly across surveys, we generated composite indicators for STI diagnosis, chems...

BackgroundCampylobacter is a major cause of childhood diarrhoea across Africa and asymptomatic carriage is frequently reported, however risk factors for Campylobacter presence remain poorly defined. This meta-analysis aimed to calculate the pooled prevalence of Campylobacter in diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic stool, assess its association with diarrhoea, identify risk factors for Campylobacter presence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns. MethodEnglish language studies on Campylobacter in...

ObjectivesDespite the availability of effective vaccines, achieving the seroprevalence thresholds recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating measles, rubella, and mumps remains a public health challenge. MethodsA retrospective, cross-sectional serological survey was conducted, including 9,587 serum samples collected from 31 of the 32 federal entities of Mexico between September and December 2024. IgG antibody levels against measles, rubella, and mumps were quantified usi...

ObjectivesDiagnosis of community-acquired Legionnaires disease (CALD) relies on microbiological testing. Routine testing in hospitalised CAP patients has low positivity rates. We externally validated a Legionella prediction score, assessed its applicability in routine care, and explored potential updates. MethodsWe analysed data from 196 CALD patients from 20 Swiss hospitals and 196 Legionella-negative CAP controls matched by date of diagnosis ({+/-}14 days; August 2022-March 2024). We assessed...

The emergence of vaccine covered serotypes causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a serious concern worldwide. We investigated the unexpected rise of serotype 4 causing IPD primarily in non-vaccinated young adults after the COVID-19 pandemic that further spread to adults [≥] 65 years in recent years. For this purpose, we conducted a retrospective study of serotype 4 IPD cases (n=827) reported in Spain between 2009 and 2024. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to assess clonal lineag...

BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of severe acute respiratory infection in infants, young children and vulnerable adults. Despite implications for designing interventions, our understanding of RSV infection/reinfection patterns during community outbreaks is incomplete. MethodsTo characterize respiratory virus infections regardless of symptom status, we performed a prospective cohort surveillance in coastal Kenya from August 2023 to August 2024. Nasopharyngeal/oropha...