Eurosurveillance
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In May 2013, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection was diagnosed in an adult male in France with severe respiratory illness, who had travelled to the United Arab Emirates before symptom onset. Contact tracing identified a secondary case in a patient hospitalised in the same hospital room. No other cases of MERS-CoV infection were identified among the index case’s 123 contacts, nor among 39 contacts of the secondary case, during the 10-day follow-up period.
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This study evaluates the influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) in preventing laboratory-confirmed cases in Navarre, Spain, in the 2011/12 season in which the peak was delayed until week 7 of 2012. We conducted a test-negative case–control study. Patients with influenza-like illness in hospitals and primary healthcare were swabbed for testing by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. ⋯ The VE was 61% (95% CI: 5 to 84) in the first 100 days after vaccination, 42% (95% CI: -39 to 75) between 100 and 119 days, and zero thereafter. This decline mainly affected people aged 65 or over. These results suggest a low preventive effect of the 2011/12 seasonal influenza vaccine, and a decline in VE with time since vaccination.
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Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB; resistance to at least rifampicin and isoniazid) is a global public health concern. In 2010–2011, Uzbekistan, in central Asia, conducted its first countrywide survey to determine the prevalence of MDR-TB among TB patients. The proportion of MDR-TB among new and previously treated TB patients throughout the country was measured and risk factors for MDR-TB explored. ⋯ MDR-TB was significantly associated with age under 45 years (adjusted odds ratio: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.45–3.45), imprisonment (1.93; 95% CI: 1.01–3.70), previous treatment (4.45; 95% CI: 2.66–7.43), and not owning a home (1.79; 95% CI: 1.01–3.16). MDR-TB estimates for Uzbekistan are among the highest reported in former Soviet Union countries. Efforts to diagnose, treat and prevent spread of MDR-TB need scaling up.
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We analysed the association between influenza A(H7N9) confirmed cases and exposure to poultry in Huzhou city, China. All cases (n=12) had a history of direct exposure to poultry or live poultry markets. ⋯ None of the cases’ close contacts tested positive. After closure of the markets, no new cases were identified, suggesting an epidemiological link between poultry exposure and A(H7N9) virus infection.
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Through a national surveillance system for unexplained pneumonia, a severe case of influenza A(H7N9) in a man in his mid-30s was identified in Zhejiang Province, China on 14 October 2013. Epidemiological and clinical findings were consistent with the patterns reported during the outbreak in spring 2013, and laboratory findings showed that the virus had 99.6% identity with earlier H7N9 viruses identified in humans in the spring except for five mutations in the NA gene.