Eurosurveillance
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This paper describes the epidemiology of hospitalised cases with influenza-like illness (ILI) and laboratory-confirmed influenza A cases in Sicily (Italy) during the 2009 influenza pandemic. The first ILI case diagnosed as infected with pandemic influenza A(H1N1)2009 in Sicily was reported in June 2009 and it rapidly became the dominant circulating strain. In the period from 30 April 2009 through 31 December 2010, a total of 2,636 people in Sicily were hospitalised for ILI and 1,193 were laboratory-confirmed for influenza A. ⋯ Twenty-four fatal cases were documented. The age group of 45–54 year-olds showed the highest PMRs once hospitalised, while CFRs were higher in elderly patients of 65 years and older. All fatal cases were confirmed as influenza A(H1N1)2009 and most of them had established risk factors for influenza complications.
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A significant increase (more than 10-fold) in the number of newly diagnosed HIV-1 infections among injecting drug users (IDUs) was observed in Greece during the first seven months of 2011. Molecular epidemiology results revealed that a large proportion (96%) of HIV-1 sequences from IDUs sampled in 2011 fall within phylogenetic clusters suggesting high levels of transmission networking. Cases originated from diverse places outside Greece supporting the potential role of immigrant IDUs in the initiation of this outbreak.
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Greece and Romania reported an increased number of HIV cases among injecting drug users (IDUs) during 2011. Most European countries reported no changes in the rate of newly diagnosed cases of HIV or HIV prevalence in IDUs; however, six countries did report increases and several additional countries reported increases in injecting risk indicators or low coverage of prevention services. These indicate a potential risk for increased HIV transmission and future outbreaks unless adequate prevention is implemented.
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Between 16 July and 21 August 2011, 31 cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease were reported from four regions in Greece. Of these, 17 occurred in districts that had not been affected in 2010. The reoccurrence of human cases in two consecutive years (following the large 2010 outbreak) and the spread of the virus in new areas suggest that West Nile virus is established in Greece, and its transmission may continue to occur in the future.
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Case Reports
First Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain with resistance to cefixime causing gonorrhoea treatment failure in Austria, 2011.
We describe the first cefixime-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain in Austria that caused treatment failure. It follows the first five cases in Europe of cefixime treatment failure, reported in Norway in 2010 and the United Kingdom in 2011. Effective treatment of gonorrhoea is crucial for public health control and, at present, requires substantially enhanced awareness, more frequent test-of-cure, interaction with experts after therapeutic failure, tracing and therapy of contacts, and surveillance of gonococcal antimicrobial resistance and treatment failures worldwide.