Increase in communicable diseases in 2017
There was a slight increase in infectious disease outbreaks in 2017, reports the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health. Reporting the outbreaks remains a problem.
In 2017, 162 outbreaks were reported with a total of 2,320 reported cases.This is a bit more than in 2016, but at the same level as the previous years, which was mentioned in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s latest report.
36 outbreaks is suspected with food contamination. More than 60 percent of all outbreaks were notified from health institutions.
For outbreaks in health institutions, where all outbreaks are suspected to have been of the following; norovirus, yellow staphylococci (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA), the influenza virus and vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) were the most common infectious agents, with 47, 11, 11 and 9 outbreaks, respectively.
The most common cause of food-borne outbreaks was norovirus (7 outbreaks), followed by enterohemoragic E. coli (EHEC) and Campylobacter (3 outbreaks each).
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health believes that there is probably a large number of outbreaks that are either not reported or under reported.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
