An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni enteritis in a school of Madrid, Spain.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Campylobacter infection was identified in May 2003 in a school in Madrid, Spain. Eighty one cases were identified in a total of 253 people studied. A retrospective cohort study showed that a custard made with ultra high temperature (UHT) milk was associated with illness (RR: 3.15; 95% CI: 1.25-7.93). The custard was probably contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni from a raw chicken prepared a day previously in the same kitchen. Our recommendations were to periodically remind the school's authorities how to act if an outbreak should be suspected, to include the monitoring of a food handler's working day in each environmental investigation in order to detect any risk behaviour; to implement microbiological analysis from the surfaces and utensils of the collective kitchens and improve the sanitary education of food handlers.

Late detection of a shigellosis outbreak in a school in Madrid.

Even though shigellosis in Spain is rare, an indigenous outbreak is occasionally detected. We describe an outbreak in a school in Madrid caused by person-to-person transmission of Shigella sonnei. After the detection of Shigella sonnei in a stool sample from a 3 year old girl, an investigation at her school was initiated. Questionnaires were distributed to the parents of 520 pupils attending the school. A case was defined as a school case if it was the first case in a child's household, and as a household case if other members of the household had fallen ill first. We identified 88 cases (60 pupils and 28 of their family members). The attack rate (AR) was 12% in the school and 32% in the families. There was a significant association between higher AR and lower age. The outbreak lasted for two months. The length and the shape of the epidemic curve of the 60 cases in pupils suggests person-to-person transmission. Shigella sonnei isolated from 5 different cases were typed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and was found to be an identical strain. The prolonged duration of the outbreak was probably due to delayed detection, and stopped as soon as control measures were introduced.

Travel associated legionellosis among European tourists in Spain.

Depuis la deuxieme moitie des annees 1980, la legionellose associee au voyage est devenue preoccupante pour les pays europeens en raison de la morbidite dans la population europeenne; de plus, l'apparition de cas chez les touristes constitue une menace p

Applied field epidemiology programme in Spain.

In 1994, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; Carlos III Health Institute) of the Spanish Ministry of Health and the Consumer (MSC) created the Programa de Epidemiología Aplicada de Campo (PEAC; Applied Field Epidemiology Programme). The programme is managed by the Centro Nacional de Epidemiología (National Epidemiological Centre) in collaboration with the Escuela Nacional de Sanidad (National School of Health), and supported by General Direction for Health and Consumer of MSC and the Health Councils (Consejerías de Sanidad) of the autonomous regions. The PEAC runs a masters degree programme in applied field epidemiology, in which degrees are conferred by the National School of Health. As PEAC is a national programme, it forms a part of the European Program for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) and is a member of the Network Training for Epidemiology Public Health Intervention (TEPHINET), the association of 27 regional and national programmes of the acting Intervention Epidemiology Training Programs.

Outbreak of trichinellosis in Cáceres, Spain, December 2001-February 2002.

An outbreak of trichinellosis by T. britovi occured in Cáceres, Spain, between 18 December 2001 and 11 February 2002, following the consumption of insufficiently cooked meat from a domestic pig. Among the 56 people exposed, 26 cases of trichinellosis were diagnosed, of which 17 serologically confirmed. The mean incubation period was 23.5 days (3-45). Among the foodstuffs suspected, salami-type sausages were associated with an attack rate of 93.3% (14/15), and a dose-response relationship was observed. Trichinella britovi is essentially a sylvatic species, but this study suggests a change in the epidemiology of trichinellosis.

New features of rubella in Spain: the evidence of an outbreak.

In most of western Europe the rubella vaccine coverage is high. However, prior to the introduction of the vaccine in Latin America, rubella susceptibility in women of childbearing age was 10-25%. Forty one (93%) countries in Latin America have adopted the rubella vaccine since 2002. The adult immigrant population in Spain constitutes a group of susceptibles. In February 2003, the Madrid Community Measles Elimination Plan detected an increase in rubella notifications in women who had been born in Latin America. A descriptive study was undertaken to characterise the outbreak. A confirmed case was a person with fever or rash and a positive IgM serology, and living in Madrid, between 1 December 2002 and 31 March 2003. The secondary attack rate (SAR) per household was calculated. A total of 19 cases of rubella were identified, 15 were confirmed and 4 were probable cases. Fourteen (73.7%) cases were women at childbearing age. The mean age was 25.1 years. One pregnancy was diagnosed with a voluntary termination. Eleven (57.9%) cases were from Ecuador. The mean time of residence in Spain was 41 months. None of the cases or the 54 (78.3%) household contacts had been vaccinated against rubella. The SAR was 9.1%. This study showed the spread of rubella in the susceptible Latin American Community that is resident in Madrid. The interventions proposed were a vaccination programme towards immigrants, a health education campaign to prevent congenital rubella, and a health professional training programme case management.

Waterborne outbreak among Spanish tourists in a holiday resort in the Dominican Republic, August 2002.

On 3 September 2002, the Spanish national centre of epidemiology (Centro Nacional de Epidemiologia--CNE) was alerted to a high number of gastroenteritis cases in Spanish tourists who had travelled to a hotel in Punta Cana on different days during august 2002. Entamoeba hystolitica cysts have been visualised by microscopy in the stools of several patients that sought medical attention in the Dominican Republic. The CNE informed the health authorities in the Dominican Republic and conducted in conjunction an epidemiological investigation. A descriptive study of the 76 initial cases estimated a mean illness duration of 5.1+2.9 days and a exposure period of 3.6+2.2 days. Following a retrospective cohort study, the attack rate was found to be 32.4%. Consequently, 216 (95% CI=114.75-317.25) spanish tourists had probably developed the illness. Stool samples were collected in Spain from untreated patients who still felt unwell. None of the samples were positive for E.hystolitica. On 10 September, a hygiene inspection was undertaken at the hotel. Samples of the ice and meals served at the buffet that day, yielded coliform bacteria. Consumption of water from the resort water system was the only risk factor associated with the symptoms (RR= 3.55; 95% CI =1.13-10.99). To avoid similar outbreaks occurring again at the hotel, it is essential to regularly monitor the water quality and to improve food handling hygiene standards. Basic food hygiene training for food handlers should be mandatory. An international guideline for the management foodborne and waterborne outbreaks among tourists in holiday resorts should be drawn up, involving all competent authorities of both destination and tourist origin countries.

New features of rubella in Spain: the evidence of an outbreak.

In most of western Europe the rubella vaccine coverage is high. However, prior to the introduction of the vaccine in Latin America, rubella susceptibility in women of childbearing age was 10-25%. Forty one (93%) countries in Latin America have adopted the rubella vaccine since 2002. The adult immigrant population in Spain constitutes a group of susceptibles. In February 2003, the Madrid Community Measles Elimination Plan detected an increase in rubella notifications in women who had been born in Latin America. A descriptive study was undertaken to characterise the outbreak. A confirmed case was a person with fever or rash and a positive IgM serology, and living in Madrid, between 1 December 2002 and 31 March 2003. The secondary attack rate (SAR) per household was calculated. A total of 19 cases of rubella were identified, 15 were confirmed and 4 were probable cases. Fourteen (73.7%) cases were women at childbearing age. The mean age was 25.1 years. One pregnancy was diagnosed with a voluntary termination. Eleven (57.9%) cases were from Ecuador. The mean time of residence in Spain was 41 months. None of the cases or the 54 (78.3%) household contacts had been vaccinated against rubella. The SAR was 9.1%. This study showed the spread of rubella in the susceptible Latin American Community that is resident in Madrid. The interventions proposed were a vaccination programme towards immigrants, a health education campaign to prevent congenital rubella, and a health professional training programme case management.

An outbreak of mumps in the Province of León Spain 1995-1996.

In Spain mumps vaccine is given at the age of 15 months together with measles and rubella vaccines since 1982. Increased numbers of cases and outbreaks of mumps appeared in several autonomous communities in 1995. An outbreak of mumps in the province of.

An outbreak of mumps in the Province of Leon Spain 1995-1996.

In Spain mumps vaccine is given at the age of 15 months together with measles and rubella vaccines since 1982. Increased numbers of cases and outbreaks of mumps appeared in several autonomous communities in 1995. An outbreak of mumps in the province of -

Impact of rotavirus disease in Spain: an estimate of hospital admissions due to rotavirus.

The epidemiology of rotavirus infection in Spain was investigated using information from existing surveillance systems. Reports from laboratories and data on hospital admissions were used to estimate the number of hospital admissions due to rotavirus infection. Between January 1989 and December 1995 there were 8265 reports of rotavirus identification in the Sistema de Información Microbiológica, a voluntary national laboratory surveillance system. Where age was reported, 89.2% were in children under 5 y old. This represents 21.8% of all pathogens identified in faecal specimens in children of this age group. Between January and December 1994 there were 5639 admissions coded as "infectious intestinal disease" and 8225 as "non-infective gastroenteritis" in children under 5 y of age in the Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos, an obligatory hospital admissions surveillance system which covers 83% of public hospitals. Using regression analysis of admission data and laboratory reports it was estimated that rotavirus infection accounted for 3519 (25.3%) of the hospital admissions. We estimate that 4239 admissions attributable to rotavirus occurred in children under 5 y of age in Spain in 1994, a rate of 2.5/1000 population in this age group. These estimates are lower than those published for other countries, where the burden of disease is considered high enough to warrant a national vaccination programme. A cost-effectiveness study with Spanish information is essential before embarking on a national vaccination programme.

Waterborne outbreak of tularemia associated with crayfish fishing.

In 1997, an outbreak of human tularemia associated with hare-hunting in central Spain affected 585 patients. We describe the identification of Francisella tularensis biovar palaearctica in a second outbreak of ulceroglandular tularemia associated with crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) fishing in a contaminated freshwater stream distant from the hare-associated outbreak. The second outbreak occurred 1 year after the first.