ECDC - News

Multi-country recalls of several infant nutrition products (different batches, products, and brands) are ongoing following the detection of cereulide, a toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

With avian influenza A(H5N1) widely circulating in wild birds and poultry, and repeatedly detected in mammals, Dutch public health authorities report that antibodies indicating past exposure have been identified in milk from a dairy cow in the Netherlands.

After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the most common cancer among young women in Europe, and human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, ECDC highlights the good news that in combination with routine cervical screening, HPV vaccination can prevent cervical cancer.

ECDC launches new Accession Support Action for EU candidate countries to strengthen communicable disease capacities to implement EU acquis in surveillance, public health emergency preparedness, and advance One Health responses against antimicrobial resistance, 2026–2029.

As the EU initiative on Health Security reaches its conclusion, an online resource remains available for partners and stakeholders.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published public health considerations regarding the use of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as doxy-PEP, for the prevention of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Three new European Union reference laboratories are now in place to improve Europe’s response to health threats linked to food- and waterborne diseases. They will help national public health laboratories to improve testing, data quality and preparedness across the EU for the next seven years.

Since April 2012, and as of 5 January 2025, a total of 2 647 MERS cases, including 959 deaths, have been reported by health authorities worldwide.

Samir Hadjiabduli, Chief Migration Health Officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Egypt, shared insights on strengthening health security in migration and mobility contexts during a regional workshop on health challenges linked to mass population displacements taking place on 16–18 December 2025.

Every month ECDC provides detailed epidemiological overview of the worldwide transmission of chikungunya virus disease in its weekly threat report (Communicable Diseases Threat Report).

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), together with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, concluded a three-day regional workshop on Strengthening preparedness and response and the provision of healthcare services in relation to humanitarian crises affecting displaced populations.

Every month ECDC provides detailed epidemiological overview of the worldwide transmission of dengue in its weekly threat report (Communicable Diseases Threat Report).

The 2025/26 influenza season has begun earlier than the previous two seasons, driven by the recently-emerged influenza virus A(H3N2) subclade K.

As sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to surge across the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA), a new report published today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reveals a complex landscape of national responses.

The European Commission has adopted an Implementing Regulation establishing a new EU reference laboratory (EURL) for public health for respiratory viruses. This marks a significant step in reinforcing the European Union’s capacity to respond to serious cross-border threats.

A study published today shows how public health laboratories can become more resilient against future respiratory infectious diseases. The findings call for sustained capacity, better coordination and EU-level support.

A new modelling study from RespiCompass, the European respiratory disease modelling hub coordinated by ECDC, indicates that influenza and COVID-19 vaccination programmes markedly reduced hospitalisations among older adults across Europe in the 2024/25 season.

2025 marks the final year of the EU Initiative on Health Security, during which ECDC and partner countries continued to strengthen regional cooperation and workforce capacities to tackle communicable diseases across EU enlargement and EU Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partner countries.

ECDC is announcing its plan to strategically and scientifically lead the consolidation and integration of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) as a complementary infectious disease surveillance tool at the EU/EEA level.

Changing diets and an ageing population may be contributing to a rise in serious Listeria infections across Europe, according to the new EU One Health Zoonoses Report from EFSA and ECDC.