Abstract
Nine hundred and forty six cases of travel-associated Legionnaires disease were reported to the European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires Disease (EWGLINET) with onset during 2007; 890 were confirmed and 56 were presumptive. Twenty eight cases died, giving a case fatality rate of 3.0%. 8.2% of cases were diagnosed by culture, an important increase from 5.2% in 2006. One hundred and twelve new clusters were identified; the largest involved nine cases. Sixteen of these clusters (14.3%) occurred in countries outside EWGLINET, and three involved cruise ships. Twenty nine of the new clusters (25.9%) would not have been detected without the EWGLINET scheme. A total of 151 investigations were conducted in Europe, 42 of which were conducted at re-offending sites (where additional cases had onset after a report was received to say that investigations and control measures had been satisfactorily conducted). The names of 13 accommodation sites were published on the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) website; 11 of these were situated in Turkey.
Highlights
Cases of Legionnaires’ disease are often associated with overnight stays in public accommodation sites which may be visited by individuals from all over the world
In 1987, the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) established a surveillance system known as ‘The European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires’ Disease’ (EWGLINET) with the aim of identifying clusters of travel-associated cases in Europe that may not be detected by national surveillance systems alone, and initiating investigation and control measures at such sites
This paper provides results and commentary on cases of travelassociated Legionnaires’ disease reported to EWGLINET with onset in 2007
Summary
Cases of Legionnaires’ disease are often associated with overnight stays in public accommodation sites which may be visited by individuals from all over the world. A cluster of cases of Legionnaires’ disease at a public accommodation site may involve nationals from more than one country and if the countries concerned do not share information on their cases, these clusters can go undetected. In 2002, EWGLI members introduced the European Guidelines for Control and Prevention of Travel Associated Legionnaires’ Disease [1], to standardise investigation and control measures conducted at cluster sites. These were endorsed by the European Commission in 2003. The history and current activities of EWGLI are described further on its website (www.ewgli.org)
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