Weekly releases (1997–2007) - Volume 8, Issue 37, 09 September 2004

An outbreak of gastrointestinal disease on board a cruise ship sailing around Britain is currently being investigated. The MV Mona Lisa left Bremerhaven, northern Germany, on 28 August carrying 940 people

As of the 8 September, 219 cases of hepatitis A have been reported in German tourists who stayed at a particular hotel on the Red Sea in Egypt, from mid-June to mid-August.

Fourteen people have become ill with confirmed legionella infections between 10 August and 6 September. One patient, an elderly man, has died. All patients either live in the city of Lidköping, Sweden, or had visited the city.

Two laboratory confirmed cases of legionnaires' disease (L. pneumophilia serogroup 1) were reported on 1 July 2004 to the Austrian General Directorate for Public Health, Federal Ministry for Health and Women. Both cases were in guests at a campsite in Klagenfurt

The National Patient Safety Agency in England and Wales has recommended that hand disinfectant gel dispensers are placed near all acute hospital beds in the country to remind staff to clean their hands after patient contact.

The EpiNorth website has just been updated with data from the 2003 annual surveillance reports from the eight Baltic and Nordic countries, and the seven neighbouring regions of northwest Russia