The most common families of mites found in house dust are Pyroglyphidae, Glycyphagidae and Acaridae; all are a source of many antigens responsible for allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the seasonal dynamics of allergenic mite populations in dust samples collected from sleeping places in apartments in north-western Poland. The mites were isolated from the dust using a saturated saline floating method. In 132 dust samples we determined: Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Euroglyphus maynei, Hirstia sp., Chortoglyphus arcuatus, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Gohieria fusca and Cheyletus sp. The greatest frequency was observed for D. farinae, D. pteronyssinus, Ch. arcuatus and Cheyletus sp., in the fourth quarter and D. farinae in the third quarter. Smaller coefficients of dominance were found for D. pteronyssinus, Ch. arcuatus and Cheyletus sp., and their greatest mean concentrations were found in the first and fourth quarters. Given the division of the year into heating and non-heating seasons, mites D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus achieved the highest mean concentration in the first season, and Cheyletus sp. in the second season. The analysis of the participation of developmental stages showed that the adults of D. farinae were more prevalent than juveniles in the first, second and third quarters, and imago stages of D. pteronyssinus were more numerous in relation to juveniles in the first, third and fourth quarters. The results confirm the high incidence of house dust mites in sleeping places in north-western Poland dwellings; the best conditions for the development of these mites, mainly D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus, occur in the fourth quarter and are the least favourable in the second quarter. In many cases, these results are consistent with data from other parts of Poland collected by various authors.

In this time period, the IHR NFP recorded 92 measles-related events of which 38 related to individual cases, 37 to outbreaks of the disease, and 17 involved exposure to a measles case. 36% of reported events were aviationrelated. The number of events in 2018 has tripled compared to 2017 and increased eightfold in comparison to 2016. The current situation indicates the need to take appropriate actions, including implementation of the National Vaccination Program as well as introducing vaccination interventions. STRESZCZENIEPaństwa członkowskie Światowej Organizacji Zdrowia (WHO) zgodnie z wymogami Międzynarodowych Przepisów Zdrowotnych (2005) zostały zobligowane do powołania Krajowych Punktów Centralnych ds. Międzynarodowych Przepisów Zdrowotnych (KPC ds. MPZ), których zadaniem jest m.in. scalanie informacji dotyczących zdarzeń stanowiących zagrożenie dla zdrowia publicznego o znaczeniu międzynarodowym, które wystąpiły za granicą lub na terenie kraju. Celem niniejszej pracy jest przegląd informacji na temat zdarzeń dotyczących zachorowań na odrę zamieszczonych na stronie Światowej Organizacji Zdrowia dla Krajowych Punktów Centralnych (Event Information Site for IHR National Focal Points), w systemie wczesnego ostrzegania i reagowania (zwanego dalej EWRS), w oparciu o wiadomości e-mail otrzymane bezpośrednio z Krajowych Punktów Centralnych ds. Międzynarodowych Przepisów Zdrowotnych z państw członkowskich WHO oraz z organów Państwowej Inspekcji Sanitarnej w Polsce w latach 2016 -2018. KPC ds. MPZ został w tym okresie odnotował 92 zdarzenia dotyczące odry, z czego 38 dotyczyło pojedynczych przypadków zachorowań, 37 -ognisk zachorowań, 17 -narażenia na styczność z osobą chorą na odrę. 36% zgłoszonych zdarzeń stanowiły zdarzenia lotnicze. Liczba zdarzenia w 2018 roku wzrosła trzykrotnie w porównaniu do roku 2017 i prawie ośmiokrotnie w stosunku do roku 2016. Obecna sytuacja wskazuje na konieczność podjęcia odpowiednich działań, jakim jest m. in. realizacja krajowego Programu Szczepień Ochronnych oraz wdrażanie szczepień interwencyjnych.

No abstract

Healthcare-associated transmission was the second most common hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) transmission route according to 2006–2012 European surveillance data, but data quality and completeness issues hinder comprehensive characterisation of this important issue. We carried out a systematic review of published literature on healthcare-associated transmission of HBV or HCV in European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries and the United Kingdom to complement surveillance data and identify higher-risk settings. We searched the PubMed and Embase databases and grey literature over the period January 2006 to September 2021, for publications reporting transmission events after 2000 in the EU/EEA and UK related to a healthcare setting or procedure. We collected data on the country, number of patients, setting type and route of transmission. In 65 publications from 16 countries, 43 HBV and 48 HCV events were identified resulting in 442 newly infected patients. Most events were reported from Italy (7 HBV and 12 HCV), Germany (8 HBV and 5 HCV) and the United Kingdom (8 HBV and 5 HCV). The number of patients infected from a single source within an event ranged from 1 to 53. Five large outbreaks of over 20 cases were identified, including two in Poland and one each in Belgium, Hungary and Slovakia. The majority of transmission events occurred through blood transfusions or in dialysis units. However, there were a number of outbreaks in seemingly low risk settings such as CT/MRI scanning units. A failure to adequately follow infection prevention control (IPC) precautions was reported in 30% of included studies. Healthcare-associated transmission of hepatitis B and C continues to occur in a range of community and hospital settings across EU/EEA countries and often results in large outbreaks, although the true extent of the situation cannot be fully determined due to under-reporting. Strict IPC precautions should be implemented across all healthcare settings and regularly audited, and surveillance systems strengthened and standardised to allow for comprehensive and consistent reporting of nosocomial transmission of hepatitis across the EU.

On 21 January 2019, public health authorities of two neighboring Austrian provinces reported an increase in measles cases. We investigated this occurrence to identify clusters of epidemiologically linked cases and the associated vaccination status in order to generate hypotheses on those factors explaining the size of the measles clusters. Probable cases were residents of the provinces of Styria or Salzburg with clinical presentation of measles after 1 January 2019 who were linked to a confirmed case using RNA virus detection. We collected data on age, rash onset, certificate-based vaccination status and reasons for being unvaccinated. Contact history was used to identify chains of transmission. By 11 March, we identified 47 cases, with 40 (85.1%) in unvaccinated patients. A cluster of 35 cases with a median age of seven years (IQR: 1–11) occurred between 9 January and 20 February in the province of Styria due to one transmission chain with four case generations. Of 31 vaccine-eligible cases, 25 (80.6%) were unvaccinated, of which 13 refused vaccination. Between 10 January and 1 March, we identified 12 cases as part of five unlinked clusters in the province of Salzburg. Each of these five clusters consisted of two generations: the primary case and the successive cases (median age: 22 years, IQR: 11–35). Eleven of 12 cases occurred in unvaccinated patients, with none of the 11 having a vaccination-refusing attitude. An extended measles cluster in a vaccination-refusing community, compared to five short-lived clusters concurrently occurring in the neighboring province, illustrates how vaccine refusal may hamper control of transmission.