"Looking at what is happening in France, the Netherlands, and Ireland, we can see that the influenza epidemics are progressing from west to east in Europe," Angus Nicoll, the
ECDC's flu expert, said in a telephone interview.
"It is unacceptable to hear that children and adults are dying from the disease where safe and cost-effective vaccines are available," Vytenis Andriukaitis, the EU's health commissioner, said in response to the
ECDC's data.
The number of confirmed cases in the EU (and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) of the influenza virus is still growing, according to an updated report from the
ECDC (www.ecdc.eu).
The
ECDC's website indicates that, as of 27 April, the media in three European countries (Spain, France and Scotland in the UK) had reported a total of 12 persons under investigation for swine influenza virus infection.
The
ECDC lists the public health measures that should be taken to mitigate these risks: a surveillance system for early warning purposes, including health assessment upon entry of migrants; dedicated mother-and-child care facilities and provision of mental health support in reception and detention centres; specific vaccination strategies to protect children and adults against the most dangerous diseases and to ensure continuity in children's immunisation history.
Meanwhile, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (
ECDC) published, on 17 March, at the request of the European Commission, an action plan for earlier diagnosis of tuberculosis and more effective treatment.
This chapter is a part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (
ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi.
Overall, the survey confirmed that healthcare-associated infections are a major public health problem, amounting to one in 18 patients in a European hospital, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (
ECDC) said.
In particular, the EP calls for clarification of the role of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (
ECDC) and of the EU's early warning and response system for the prevention and control of communicable diseases.