Sharp increase in gonorrhoea notifications among young people, EU/EEA, July 2022 to June 2023.

Gonorrhoea cases increased steeply in women aged 20 to 24 years across 15 EU/EEA countries in July to December 2022 and January to June 2023 with, respectively, 73% and 89% more cases reported than expected, based on historical data from 2015 to 2019. Smaller increases among men due to heterosexual transmission were observed in nine EU/EEA countries. Interventions to raise awareness among young people about sexually transmitted infection risks are needed, emphasising the benefit of safe sexual practices and testing.

Modeling the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic in the Republic of Cyprus.

We present different data analytic methodologies that have been applied in order to understand the evolution of the first wave of the Coronavirus disease 2019 in the Republic of Cyprus and the effect of different intervention measures that have been taken by the government. Change point detection has been used in order to estimate the number and locations of changes in the behaviour of the collected data. Count time series methods have been employed to provide short term projections and a number of various compartmental models have been fitted to the data providing with long term projections on the pandemic's evolution and allowing for the estimation of the effective reproduction number.

An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus.

BACKGROUND: Outbreaks of acute hepatitis A (AHA) have recently been reported in Europe among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, trends in the reported cases of AHA in Cyprus over the last seven years. METHODS: We retrospectively studied all people reported with AHA in Cyprus between January 2013 and December 2019. Demographic data, type of transmission, vaccination status for HAV, laboratory and clinical data were analyzed. RESULTS: The asnalysis involved 33 AHA cases (age 32.7 ± 17.4 years, 78.8% males). An increase in AHA reports was observed between July 2017 and June 2018 when more than a third (n = 13) of the cases of the period 2013-2019 were reported. The reporting rate of AHA doubled from 0.52 cases per 100,000 population (before July 2017) to 1.12 cases per 100,000 population (July 2017-June 2018). The male/female (M/F) ratio increased from one in 2013 to eight in 2018. CONCLUSION: An increase in AHA reports occurred in Cyprus between July 2017 and June 2018. Many cases with AHA in that period were MSM. Enhanced surveillance and timely public health interventions, like vaccination and awareness promotion, are important for preventing future outbreaks.

Epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease in Cyprus 2004 to 2018.

BackgroundDespite progress in the management of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) it causes significant mortality and sequelae.AimThis study aims to describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of IMD in Cyprus and discuss the current immunisation programmes.MethodsThis is a retrospective study of all cases of IMD notified to the Ministry of Health between 2004 and 2018. Demographic, epidemiological, clinical and microbiological data were collected when a new case was notified. Risk factors associated with mortality were investigated using univariable logistic regression.Results54 cases of IMD were recorded, an overall incidence of 0.4 cases per 100,000 population. The incidence rate was highest among infants (7.2/100,000) and adolescents (1.4/100,000). Case fatality rate was 10.4%. Serogroup B accounted for 24 of 40 cases caused by known serogroup. Serogroups W and Y comprised nine cases and were responsible for most fatal cases. Serogroup C was the cause in only four cases. There was an increase in the odds of death with increasing age, while the presence of meningitis in the clinical picture was found to be associated with lower odds of death.ConclusionDespite the low incidence of IMD in Cyprus, it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Serogroup B is the most frequent serogroup, while incidence of serogroups W and Y is rising. Monitoring new cases and yearly evaluation of the immunisation programmes by the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) is essential for successful control of the disease.

Moving forward: lessons for Cyprus as it implements its health insurance scheme.

The Republic of Cyprus is the only country in the European Union (EU) whose health system is comprised of public and private sectors of relatively similar sizes. The division within the health system, combined with a lack of efficient payment mechanisms and monitoring systems, contributes to inequalities in access to care, and inefficient allocation and utilization of resources. In part to address these issues, a new General Health Insurance Scheme (GHIS), was proposed by stakeholders from the Cypriot government along with a team of international consultants in 1992 and eventually approved by the Parliament in 2001. However implementation of the GHIS has been repeatedly delayed since that time due to cost concerns. In 2012, following recommendations by the European Commission, the Cypriot Cabinet decided to recommit to the reform. In light of this development, the recent Cyprus application for accession to the EU support mechanism due to the economic crisis, and the international spotlight associated with Cyprus' EU Presidency, this article discusses the anticipated Cypriot health system reform-which is now slated to go into effect in 2016-and examines lessons from other countries.