Eurosurveillance
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BackgroundChildhood vaccination schedules recommend vaccine doses at predefined ages. AimWe evaluated vaccination completeness and timeliness in Jerusalem, a district with recurrent vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. MethodsVaccination coverage was monitored by the up-to-date method (vaccination completeness at age 2 years). ⋯ Jewish ultra-Orthodox communities had low vaccination coverage. ConclusionsConsiderable vaccination delay should be addressed within the vaccine hesitancy spectrum. Delays may induce susceptibility to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks; tailored programmes to improve timeliness are required.
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Following the discovery in 2015 of the variegated squirrel bornavirus 1 (VSBV-1) in fatal encephalitis cases among exotic squirrel breeders and a zoo animal caretaker in Germany, a case definition was developed. It was employed during trace-back animal trade investigations and sero-epidemiological studies among breeders and zoo animal caretakers of holdings with VSBV-1 infected squirrels. ⋯ The low rate of seropositivity found among living persons in risk groups that handle exotic squirrels privately or at zoos may reflect rareness of exposure to VSBV-1 during animal contact, a high lethality of infection or a combination of these factors. As a precaution against human exposure, testing of exotic squirrels for VSBV-1 infection and/or avoiding direct contact with exotic squirrels in zoos and private holdings is strongly advised.