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Eurosurveillance
Since 1995, Eurosurveillance has provided the European public health community with an open-access platform to exchange relevant findings on communicable disease surveillance, prevention and control. A weekly, electronic, peer-reviewed publication, Eurosurveillance aims to provide timely facts and guidance for public health professionals and decision-makers in the field of infectious disease to facilitate the implementation of effective prevention and control measures. Impact factor: 6.4. More...
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Age-specific SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality ratio and associated risk factors, Italy, February to April 2020
More LessWe analysed 5,484 close contacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Italy, all tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Infection fatality ratio was 0.43% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.21–0.79) for individuals younger than 70 years and 10.5% (95% CI: 8.0–13.6) for older individuals. Risk of death after infection was 62% lower (95% CI: 31–80) in clusters identified after 16 March 2020 and 1.8-fold higher for males (95% CI: 1.03–3.16).
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Repeated leftover serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, Greece, March and April 2020
More LessZacharoula Bogogiannidou , Alexandros Vontas , Katerina Dadouli , Maria A Kyritsi , Soteris Soteriades , Dimitrios J Nikoulis , Varvara Α Mouchtouri , Michalis Koureas , Evangelos I Kazakos , Emmanouil G Spanos , Georgia Gioula , Evangelia E Ntzani , Alexandros A Eleftheriou , Alkiviadis Vatopoulos , Efthimia Petinaki , Vassiliki Papaevangelou , Matthaios Speletas , Sotirios Tsiodras and Christos HadjichristodoulouA serosurvey of IgG antibodies against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was performed during March and April 2020. Among 6,586 leftover sera, 24 (0.36%) were positive, with higher prevalence in females, older individuals and residents of large urban areas. Seroprevalence was estimated at 0.02% and 0.25%, respectively, in March and April, infection fatality rate at 2.66% and 0.54%. Our findings confirm low COVID-19 incidence in Greece and possibly the effectiveness of early measures.
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Epidemiology of measles during the COVID-19 pandemic, a description of the surveillance data, 29 EU/EEA countries and the United Kingdom, January to May 2020
More LessThe number of measles cases declined in European Union/European Economic Area countries and the United Kingdom in 2020. Reported cases to The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control decreased from 710 to 54 between January and May. Epidemic intelligence screening observed a similar trend. Under-diagnoses and under-reporting during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic should be ruled out before concluding reduced measles circulation is because of social distancing and any community control measures taken to control COVID-19.
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Marked reductions in outpatient antibiotic prescriptions for children and adolescents – a population-based study covering 83% of the paediatric population, Germany, 2010 to 2018
More LessBackgroundPrescribing of systemic antibiotics in general and of cephalosporins in particular in German paediatric outpatients has previously been reported to be higher than in other European countries.
AimOur objective was to assess recent trends in antibiotic prescribing in German children.
MethodsThis study was conducted as consecutive annual cross-sectional analyses and included all children aged 0–14 years (n = 9,389,183 in 2018) covered by statutory health insurance in Germany. Annual antibiotic prescription rates from 2010 to 2018 were calculated for the age groups 0–1, 2–5, 6–9 and 10–14 years. Poisson regression was used to estimate trends of prescription rates by age group and antibiotic subgroup.
ResultsOverall, the age-standardised antibiotic prescription rate decreased significantly by 43% from 746 prescriptions per 1,000 persons in 2010 to 428 per 1,000 in 2018 (p < 0.001). Reductions were most pronounced in the age groups 0–1 year (−50%) and 2–5 years (−44%). The age group 2–5 years exhibited the highest prescription rate with 683 per 1,000 in 2018 (0–1 year: 320/1,000; 6–9 years: 417/1,000; 10–14 years: 273/1,000). Cephalosporins (second and third generation) accounted for 32% of prescribed antibiotics.
ConclusionsMarked reductions in antibiotic prescribing during the last decade indicate a change towards more judicious paediatric prescribing habits. Compared with other European countries, however, prescribing of second- and third-generation cephalosporins remains high in Germany, suggesting frequent first-line use of these substances for common respiratory infections. Considerable regional variations underline the need for regionally targeted interventions.
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