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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: 21. More...
Latest Issue: Volume 28, Issue 4, 26 January 2023 Latest Issue RSS feed
- Rapid communication
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Low SARS-CoV-2 Cq values in healthcare workers with symptomatic COVID-19 infections, regardless of symptom severity, The Netherlands, January to August 2022
We analysed SARS-CoV-2 PCR Cq values from 3,183 healthcare workers who tested positive between January and August 2022. Median Cq values were lower in symptomatic than in asymptomatic HCW. The difference in Cq values between HCW with mild vs moderate/severe symptoms was statistically significant but negligibly small. To prevent nosocomial infections, all symptomatic HCW should be tested irrespective of symptom severity. This information can support decisions on testing and isolation, in the context of ongoing pressure on healthcare systems.
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- Surveillance
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Effect of neuraminidase inhibitor (oseltamivir) treatment on outcome of hospitalised influenza patients, surveillance data from 11 EU countries, 2010 to 2020
Cornelia Adlhoch , Concepción Delgado-Sanz , AnnaSara Carnahan , Amparo Larrauri , Odette Popovici , Nathalie Bossuyt , Isabelle Thomas , Jan Kynčl , Pavel Slezak , Mia Brytting , Raquel Guiomar , Monika Redlberger-Fritz , Jackie Maistre Melillo , Tanya Melillo , Arianne B. van Gageldonk-Lafeber , Sierk D. Marbus , Joan O’Donnell , Lisa Domegan , Joana Gomes Dias and Sonja J. OlsenBackgroundTimely treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors (NAI) can reduce severe outcomes in influenza patients.
AimWe assessed the impact of antiviral treatment on in-hospital deaths of laboratory-confirmed influenza patients in 11 European Union countries from 2010/11 to 2019/20.
MethodsCase-based surveillance data from hospitalised patients with known age, sex, outcome, ward, vaccination status, timing of antiviral treatment, and hospitalisation were obtained. A mixed effect logistic regression model using country as random intercept was applied to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for in-hospital death in patients treated with NAIs vs not treated.
ResultsOf 19,937 patients, 31% received NAIs within 48 hours of hospital admission. Older age (60–79 years aOR 3.0, 95% CI: 2.4–3.8; 80 years 8.3 (6.6–10.5)) and intensive care unit admission (3.8, 95% CI: 3.4–4.2) increased risk of dying, while early hospital admission after symptom onset decreased risk (aOR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.90–0.93). NAI treatment initiation within 48 hours and up to 7 days reduced risk of dying (0–48 hours aOR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.45–0.59; 3–4 days 0.59 (0.51–0.67); 5–7 days 0.64 (0.56–0.74)), in particular in patients 40 years and older (e.g. treatment within 48 hours: 40–59 years aOR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28–0.66; 60–79 years 0.50 (0.39–0.63); ≥80 years 0.51 (0.42–0.63)).
ConclusionNAI treatment given within 48 hours and possibly up to 7 days after symptom onset reduced risk of in-hospital death. NAI treatment should be considered in older patients to prevent severe outcomes.
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- Research
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Association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load distributions with individual demographics and suspected variant type: results from the Liverpool community testing pilot, England, 6 November 2020 to 8 September 2021
BackgroundThe PCR quantification cycle (Cq) is a proxy measure of the viral load of a SARS-CoV-2-infected individual.
AimTo investigate if Cq values vary according to different population characteristics, in particular demographic ones, and within the COVID-19 pandemic context, notably the SARS-CoV-2 type/variant individuals get infected with.
MethodsWe considered all positive PCR results from Cheshire and Merseyside, England, between 6 November 2020 and 8 September 2021. Cq distributions were inspected with Kernel density estimates. Multivariable quantile regression models assessed associations between people’s features and Cq.
ResultsWe report Cq values for 188,821 SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals. Median Cqs increased with decreasing age for suspected wild-type virus and Alpha variant infections, but less so, if not, for Delta. For example, compared to 30–39-year-olds (median age group), 5–11-year-olds exhibited 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5 to 2.1), 2.2 (95% CI: 1.8 to 2.6) and 0.8 (95% CI: 0.6 to 0.9) higher median Cqs for suspected wild-type, Alpha and Delta positives, respectively, in multivariable analysis. 12–18-year-olds also had higher Cqs for wild-type and Alpha positives, however, not for Delta. Overall, in univariable analysis, suspected Delta positives reported 2.8 lower median Cqs than wild-type positives (95% CI: 2.7 to 2.8; p < 0.001). Suspected Alpha positives had 1.5 (95% CI: 1.4 to 1.5; p < 0.001) lower median Cqs than wild type.
ConclusionsWild-type- or Alpha-infected school-aged children (5–11-year-olds) might transmit less than adults (> 18 years old), but have greater mixing exposures. Smaller differences in viral loads with age occurred in suspected Delta infections. Suspected-Alpha- or Delta-infections involved higher viral loads than wild type, suggesting increased transmission risk. COVID-19 control strategies should consider age and dominant variant.
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- Letter
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Letter to the editor: Importance of considering high-risk behaviours in COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness estimates with observational studies
Takeshi Arashiro , Yuzo Arima , Jin Kuramochi , Hirokazu Muraoka , Akihiro Sato , Kumi Chubachi , Kunihiro Oba , Atsushi Yanai , Hiroko Arioka , Yuki Uehara , Genei Ihara , Yasuyuki Kato , Naoki Yanagisawa , Yoshito Nagura , Hideki Yanai , Akihiro Ueda , Akira Numata , Hideaki Kato , Hideaki Oka , Yusuke Nishida , Takao Ooki , Yuki Nidaira , Ashley Stucky , Tadaki Suzuki , Chris Smith , Martin Hibberd , Koya Ariyoshi and Motoi Suzuki
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Recent articles
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Adverse events following first and second dose COVID-19 vaccination in England, October 2020 to September 2021: a national vaccine surveillance platform self-controlled case series study
Ruby SM Tsang , Mark Joy , Rachel Byford , Chris Robertson , Sneha N Anand , William Hinton , Nikhil Mayor , Debasish Kar , John Williams , William Victor , Ashley Akbari , Declan T Bradley , Siobhan Murphy , Dermot O’Reilly , Rhiannon K Owen , Antony Chuter , Jillian Beggs , Gary Howsam , Aziz Sheikh , FD Richard Hobbs and Simon de Lusignan
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Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 positive passengers on flights from China to Italy, December 2022
Federica Novazzi , Emanuela Giombini , Martina Rueca , Andreina Baj , Lavinia Fabeni , Angelo Genoni , Francesca Drago Ferrante , Giulia Gramigna , Cesare Ernesto Maria Gruber , Sara Boutahar , Claudia Minosse , Ornella Butera , Renee Pasciuta , Daniele Focosi , Alberto Colombo , Andrea Antinori , Enrico Girardi , Francesco Vaia and Fabrizio Maggi
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