♦ 20 March 2017 ♦ Registration for both meetings in Budapest is close to end now. Remember deadline is 30th March 2017. Should you intend to attend one or both meeting(s), do not to forget to register online following the link provided in the e-mailed sent to the networks. If you do not find the link, please ask us using rabies.eu-rl@anses.fr. Laboratories from the serology network willing to present or share information about rabies serology (development of new tools, comparison of techniques, situation of the laboratory regarding rabies serology…) during the meeting should contact the serology team.  

♦ 20 March 2017 ♦ If you registered for the 2017 session of the inter laboratory test for rabies diagnosis, please check that all needed documents have been sent to the EURL for rabies in order to validate your participation. Remember that it is necessary to send before the launch of the test the original document of the unilateral commitment back to our team, and, if needed, an import permit delivered by your official administration.  

♦ 17 February 2017 ♦ The WHO/ Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases released on 17 February a report on human rabies 2016 updates. [Relayed from who website] “The report updates the epidemiological information on dog-transmitted rabies, discuss the changing needs from surveillance when approaching elimination and data sources for rabies in animals; it outlines new sources and recent developments towards more complete rabies data and calls for active participation of countries in these processes. Countries are also invited to actively participate in the global effort to strengthen the evidence-base on rabies to inform policy, build awareness and forecast vaccine resources for control and elimination programmes.” Read more…  

Programme

Brucella suis biovar 2 (BSB2) is mainly encountered in hares and wild boars (Sus scrofa), and is known to have very low pathogenicity to humans with only two case reports published in the literature. Human cases of brucellosis caused by BSB2 were identified through the national mandatory notification of brucellosis. The identification of the bacterium species and biovar were confirmed by the national reference laboratory. Epidemiological data were obtained during medical follow-up visits. Seven human cases were identified between 2004 and 2016 in France, all confirmed by the isolation of BSB2 in clinical specimens.

EFSA & ECDC has recently published the European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2015, available at the following link: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4634 Part regarding staphylococcal foodborne outbreaks can be found in clause 3.16.3.3, p 198-199.

European experts have noted an increasing trend of listeriosis since 2008, but they highlight that the number of affected people stabilised from 2014 to 2015. Infections were mostly reported in people over 64 years of age. These are some of the findings of the latest annual report by EFSA and ECDC on zoonotic diseases, which also includes the latest trends on salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, and foodborne outbreaks in the European Union (published 16 December 2016). See the article published on Listeria (EFSA website).

♦ 16 January 2017 ♦ Next workshop for rabies will be held on 13 June, afternoon, and 14 June, morning in Budapest, Hungary. The rabies serology meeting will follow on 14 June, afternoon, and 15 June, full day at the same place. A mail of information has been sent to both networks. Laboratories from the serology network willing to present or share information about rabies serology (development of new tools, comparison of techniques, situation of your laboratory regarding rabies serology…) during the meeting should inform the serology team before 10th March 2017.  

♦ 09 January 2017 ♦ Registrations for the 2017 session of the inter laboratory test for rabies diagnosis are now closed. Forty-eight laboratories from all continents will participate to this annual trial, testing one or several diagnosis techniques (FAT, RTCIT, Conventional RT-PCR and Real Time RT-PCR). Requested documentation (fully filled in, initialled and stamp unilateral commitment and import license) must be sent to the EURL for rabies for finalisation of registration.  

♦ 19 December 2016 ♦ [Relayed from the Uppsala Universitat website] A new study has found rabies antibodies in the blood of bats in southern Sweden belonging to a certain species. The study is published by researchers at the Swedish Public Health Agency, the National Veterinary Institute, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Zoonosis Centre at Uppsala University.   (…Read more)