No 13/14 - 2013

Measles outbreak in the Silkeborg area

On March 8, a school child who had recently been on vacation abroad was diagnosed with measles. Week 13 saw another six laboratory-confirmed cases of measles from the Silkeborg area, including five cases from the school of the index patient.

The six pupils are 7-12 years old, three of them have received one MMR vaccination and the rest are unvaccinated. The final measles case was detected in a 50-year-old who was born and raised in South America, and who − according to the information provided − had not previously had measles or received vaccination.

The Medical Officer of Health in the area (Central Denmark Region) has been informed and is in charge of handling the outbreak.
Physicians are currently encouraged to pay particular attention to the measles diagnosis in children and younger adults who present with symptoms consistent with measles.

Measles infection can be detected via serological testing. In case of posititive IgM antibodies, the diagnosis should be supplemented with PCR testing for virus in throat swab, urine and/or blood. PCR detection is possible for up to several weeks following symptom onset and can be performed at the Department of Microbiological Diagnostics and Virology, Statens Serum Institut.

Measles virus is very infectious and patients with fever and rash should contact their GP by telephone before seeing their GP in the surgery or going to emergency service doctors. In cases in which exposure occurred within a 3-6 day period, vaccination or antibodies (immunoglobulin) may be given prophylactically.
(L.K. Knudsen, P.H. Andersen, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, D. Bang, Department of Microbiological Diagnostics and Virology, J. Greve, Central Denmark MOH) 

Individually notified diseases 2012

This annual report comprises individually notifiable diseases with onset in 2012. Figures may subsequently be adjusted due to late notification or new information received. To facilitate comparison with the previous period, the following are included: 2011 totals, the mean annual average for the entire five-year period 2007-2011, and the minimum-maximum annual averages for the same period.
There have been no reported cases of anthrax, diphtheria, haemorrhagic fever, plague, polio or rabies.

Read more in this annual report 2012 (pdf)

Link to previous issues of EPI-NEWS

 
3 April 2013