The decision making process on public health measures related to passenger ships: the example of influenza pandemic 2009.

BACKGROUND: Public health measures at sea ports have posed a challenge for public health competent authorities, especially in the context of the influenza pandemic of 2009. This paper discusses the response of authorities to notifications of infectious diseases on passenger ships and the importance of assessing the risks related to cases of influenza. It further provides options for health measures and considerations for decision making during a pandemic such as the influenza pandemic of 2009. DISCUSSION: Prevention and control of influenza have included action taken by both competent port authorities and ships' crews. Assessing the public health risk of each event reported from ships to competent authorities at ports is important before advice is given on implementation of control measures. Public health risk assessment involves appraisal of threats to passengers and crew on board the ship as well as to the population in the community. SUMMARY: Any public health measures taken should be necessary and proportional to the threat. Measures at ports cannot alone be effective in the prevention of the spread of a disease to the community since other means of transport play a major role. Measures taken on board ships can be effective in containing the disease. Consistent policy based on common protocols and carried out by competent authorities at local, national, European, or international levels are essential.

Travel associated legionnaires disease in Europe: 1997 and 1998.

The European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires Disease was set up by the European Working Group on Legionella Infections (EWGLI) in 1987 to identify cases of legionella infection in returning travellers and to detect outbreaks and cl

European surveillance of travel associated legionnaires' disease 1996.

The European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires' Disease was established in 1987 to identify clusters and outbreaks of cases of the disease. Twenty-nine collaborating centres in 25 countries contribute case reports in a standard format.

European surveillance of travel associated legionnaires' disease 1996.

The European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires' Disease was established in 1987 to identify clusters and outbreaks of cases of the disease. Twenty-nine collaborating centres in 25 countries contribute case reports in a standard format

EWGLI: a European surveillance scheme for travel associated legionnaire s disease.

The European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) was set up in 1986 and introduced the European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires Disease in 1987. The microbiologists working in reference laborat-ories and the epidemiolog

An overview of emerging foodborne and waterborne diseases

Several foodborne and waterborne diseases have emerged in the past two decades as a consequence of changes in etiological agents, hosts and the environment. The burden of foodborne and waterborne disease is not uniformly distributed globally: because of the inequitable distribution of the world's resources some countries carry a disproportionately heavy burden of infectious disease, and what is considered a re-emergent pathogen in one location may be endemic in another