Eurosurveillance
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From June 2014 through February 2015, respiratory samples from 130 Danish patients were screened for enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). Fourteen EV-D68 cases were detected, of which 12 presented with respiratory symptoms, and eight had known underlying disease. The median age of EV-D68 cases was three years (interquartile range: 0–30 years). Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) was not detected although Danish EV-D68 strains showed > 98% nt identity with EV-D68-strains from AFP cases from the United States and France.
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Comparative Study
Comparing introduction to Europe of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses A(H5N8) in 2014 and A(H5N1) in 2005.
Since the beginning of November 2014, nine outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) A(H5N8) in poultry have been detected in four European countries. In this report, similarities and differences between the modes of introduction of HPAIV A(H5N1) and A(H5N8) into Europe are described. Experiences from outbreaks of A(H5N1) in Europe demonstrated that early detection to control HPAIV in poultry has proven pivotal to minimise the risk of zoonotic transmission and prevention of human cases.