infectious diseases

Childhood vaccination coverage has declined in most European Union (EU) countries in recent years, reversing some of the significant progress made since 1980, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. The researchers analysed data from the World Health Organisation and UNICEF on coverage rates for seven childhood vaccines – diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; hepatitis B; Haemophilus influenzae type b; measles; pneumococcal; poliomyelitis and rubella – across the 27 EU countries between 1980 and 2024. Most of the recent declines began between 2019 and 2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In Spain, the data point to a decline in vaccination rates for five of the seven childhood vaccines – whilst rates for rubella and measles increased.

The arrival of thousands of migrants in Ceuta at the end of July has led to the emergence of messages portraying these people as a health threat. However, the scientific evidence points to exactly the opposite: those arriving in our country are, generally speaking, in good health, and it is they – not the local population – who are at greatest risk of falling ill, due to the conditions in which they are forced to live. In the face of fear and misinformation, the best defence is transparent, data-driven information.

Among the migrants who have been in Ceuta for several weeks, there are confirmed or suspected cases of tuberculosis, chickenpox, scabies and gastroenteritis. Specialists in public health, epidemiology and infectious diseases explain to SMC España the basic recommendations that must be followed when providing care for this population.

The plague outbreak recorded in the Mallorcan towns of Son Servera and Capdepera in 1820, with an overall case-fatality rate of 78 per cent, has historically been regarded as an episode of bubonic plague, a zoonotic disease normally acquired through the bite of an infected flea carried by animals such as rodents. Now, a study published in the journal PNAS, which has drawn on hundreds of contemporary reports—including daily death tolls—and epidemiological models, suggests that the disease was not transmitted exclusively by infected rodents, but was spread from person to person. Therefore, according to the authors, it may have been the pneumonic or septicaemic forms of the plague.

Most countries overuse antibiotics, particularly those with the greatest potential to cause resistance, according to a new study published in the journal The Lancet Public Health using data from 186 countries, including Spain. The study estimated optimal national levels of antibiotic use based on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) AWaRe guidelines, which classify antibiotics into the ‘access’ group – first-line drugs, such as amoxicillin – the ‘caution’ group – more potent drugs with more restricted use – and the ‘reserve’ group – drugs of last resort, for resistant infections. Of the 67 regions with data on antibiotic use, 72 per cent used quantities exceeding those considered optimal, and 99 per cent overused antibiotics in the ‘caution’ group – those that contribute most to the development of resistance. High-income regions used fewer antibiotics than low- and middle-income regions.

Sexually transmitted variants of the Shigella sonnei bacterium spread more rapidly than other strains, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. This study of more than 3,500 samples collected in the United Kingdom between 2016 and 2021 also observed that strains resulting from sexual transmission were more resistant to the antibiotic azithromycin in men who have sex with men than in other patient groups. The bacterium S. sonnei causes an acute diarrheal infection called shigellosis; it is known to cause traveler’s diarrhea, and over the past two decades, cases have increased as a sexually transmitted disease among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Rising sea temperatures are promoting the spread of Vibrio vulnificus, the marine bacterium nicknamed the “carnivore,” which can cause serious infections. Last summer, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned of an increased risk during the summer months, especially in the Baltic Sea. This bacterium has also been identified along the Spanish coast, but experts explain that swimming in the Mediterranean is safe for the general public, as the bacterium thrives in waters with lower salinity. Even so, they recommend that vulnerable individuals remain vigilant and avoid swimming if they have open wounds.

The French Ministry of Health has reported, in a statement, the first case of Ebola in the country. The patient is a doctor who has returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak has already claimed 277 lives.

The latest reports from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) indicate a rise in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe. In 2024, notifications of gonorrhoea and syphilis, along with congenital syphilis, reached their highest levels in more than a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries. Gonorrhoea has increased by more than 300 % over the past 10 years, with Spain among the countries with the highest rates, while syphilis has risen by around 100 %, with Spain also ranking second highest. Men who have sex with men are the most affected population group for both infections. Congenital syphilis increased by almost 250 %, described as “one of the most concerning findings” by two ECDC experts during the briefing presenting the results. Possible contributing factors include reduced condom use, an increase in sexual partners, as well as higher levels of testing.

Last Saturday, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared that the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), following consultation with the organisation’s member states. By 15 May, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths had been reported in three health zones: Rwampara, Mongbwalu and Bunia.