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Call for papers – Eurosurveillance special issue on socio-economic determinants and infectious diseases in Europe
Eurosurveillance is planning to publish a special issue on Socio-economic determinants and infections diseases in Europe in spring of 2010. For this reason Eurosurveillance invites interested scientists who have research findings in the area to submit papers for review and possible publication.
Eurosurveillance publishes new EU-wide data on tuberculosis
The data from 27 European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway show that considerable progress has been made in preventing and controlling the disease. The number of newly diagnosed cases and the overall notification rate declined continuously in the past decade, and the notification rate in 2007 was 12% lower than in 2003. In spite of this decline, a total of 84,917 new cases of TB were registered in 2007 and a number of challenges hamper the progress towards the elimination of TB in the EU.
Special issue on pregnancy and infectious diseases
A number of bacterial and viral infections in pregnant women can have serious effects on the unborn child leading to impaired mental and physical health later in life. This week’s issue of Eurosurveillance is dedicated to infectious diseases in pregnancy.
Special issues on antimicrobial resistance
The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem in many European countries. To mark the very first European Antibiotic Awareness Day, on 18 November, the scientific journal Eurosurveillance runs a series of articles to highlight main aspects of the AMR problem in Europe. They will be published in two issues on 13 and 20 November 2008.
Special issue on seasonal influenza vaccination
In preparation for the coming influenza season 2008-9, Eurosurveillance publishes a special issue on prevention of influenza by vaccination. Seasonal influenza poses a serious public health threat because of associated serious morbidity and mortality. In Europe, estimates suggest that influenza is responsible for around 40,000 to 220,000 excess deaths, depending on the severity of the epidemic.
STARHS (Serological Testing Algorithms for Recent HIV Seroconversion) - progress towards estimating new HIV infections in Europe
Today Eurosurveillance is publishing a special issue dedicated to the widespread advances made in Europe in estimating the real number of newly acquired HIV infections based on an innovative approach called STARHS
Eurosurveillance publishes a special issue on hepatitis B and C
To tie in with World Hepatitis Day on 19 May, the scientific journal Eurosurveillance is today publishing a special issue on viral hepatitis, highlighting issues and challenges related to hepatitis B and C.
Immunisation Week
On 17 April 2008, Eurosurveillance is publishing a special issue with articles on the measles situation in Europe. The publication is linked to European Immunisation Week which runs from 21-27 April.
Eurosurveillance publishes special issue on tuberculosis
World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March commemorates the date in 1882 when Robert Koch presented his findings of the causing agent of tuberculosis (TB) – Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the run up of this day Eurosurveillance publishes a special issue on the situation of TB in Europe.
Special issue on meningococcal disease
Today (6 March, 2008), Eurosurveillance, the European peer-reviewed journal of infectious diseases, publishes a special issue on meningococcal disease. It includes two in-depth articles and an editorial by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
View all press releases All press releases
In this issue
Tackling tuberculosis: progress made and challenges remaining for the European Union
Stopping TB in Europe: some progress but still not there
A Framework Action Plan to fight Tuberculosis in the European Union
Demographic features and trends in tuberculosis cases in the European Region, 1995-2005
The added value of a European Union tuberculosis reference laboratory network – analysis of the national reference laboratory activities
World Health Organization reports highest rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis to date


Home Eurosurveillance Edition  2008: Volume 13/ Issue 12 Article 6 Printer friendly version
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Eurosurveillance, Volume 13, Issue 12, 18 March 2008
News
World Health Organization reports highest rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis to date
Editorial team ()1
  1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
Citation style for this article: Editorial team. World Health Organization reports highest rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis to date. Euro Surveill. 2008;13(12):pii=8077. Available online: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=8077

 

On 26 February 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its fourth report on the global situation regarding drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) [1]. The report, based on information collected between 2002 and 2006 on 90,000 TB patients in 81 countries, found that 5.3% of the nine million new cases of TB each year are multidrug-resistant (MDR). This is the highest rate yet recorded.

The prevalence of MDR TB among new cases ranged from 2.8% in Romania to 22.3% in Baku, Azerbaijan. High proportions of resistance were also estimated in China, India and the Russian Federation. For the first time, data on extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB were available from 35 countries, of which 25 were European. In total, data were given for 4,012 MDR TB cases, among which 301 (7%) XDR TB cases were detected. In general, absolute numbers of XDR TB cases were low in Central and Western Europe, the Americas and in the Asian countries that reported data. The proportion of XDR TB among MDR TB in these settings varied from 0% in 11 countries to 30.0% in Japan. As these countries have a relatively low MDR TB burden, this represents few absolute cases. According to the report, the situation appears much more serious in countries of the former Soviet Union. In nine such countries that reported, approximately 10% of all MDR TB cases were XDR, but represented a much larger absolute number of cases.

 

References

  1. The World Health Organization/International Union Against TB and Lung Disease Global Project on Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Surveillance. Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance In The World: Fourth Global Report. Geneva; 2008. Report No.: WHO/HTM/TB/2008.394. Available from: http://www.who.int/tb/publications/2008/drs_report4_26feb08.pdf

 


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Disclamer:The opinions expressed by authors contributing to Eurosurveillance do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) or the Editorial team or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated. Neither the ECDC nor any person acting on behalf of the ECDC is responsible for the use which might be made of the information in this journal.
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