Suchergebnisse

On 28 January 2010 the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched their annual report on zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks for 2008. The report provides a comprehensive overview of zoonotic infections and disease outbreaks caused by consuming contaminated food. The number of reported human cases of the three most reported zoonotic infections, was lower in 2008 compared to 2007. Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis in the European Union (EU) for the last five years followed by salmonellosis and yersiniosis. The declining trend of salmonellosis continued, most likely as a result of the intensified control of Salmonella in animal populations, particularly in poultry, and better hygiene throughout the food chain. The number of confirmed cases of listeriosis decreased by 11% in 2008 (1,381) compared to 2007 (1,554) in the EU. Foodstuffs that are considered the main source for human listeriosis in the EU include ready-to-eat (RTE) products (fish and meat), soft cheeses, salads and sandwiches. An EFSA-ECDC collaborative survey on Listeria in RTE products and in clinical cases of human listeriosis started in January 2010, the results of which will contribute to a better understanding about listeriosis in the EU. Q-fever increased by 172% in 2008 (1,594) compared with 2007 (585). This was mainly due to several outbreaks in people entering areas with infected sheep and goats mainly in the Netherlands. In-depth investigations have been carried out in affected countries and it is suspected that the occurrence of Q-fever in humans and animals may be seriously underreported in Europe. A total of 3,159 confirmed cases of Shiga-toxin/vero-toxin producing E. coli (STEC/VTEC) were reported in 2008, representing an 8.7% increase from 2007 (2,905 cases). In animals VTEC was mainly isolated from cattle and, in lower proportion from small ruminants such as sheep and goats. In food, VTEC was detected in a considerable proportion of cow milk samples. The 2008 annual Community Summary Report describes the five-year trends, distribution and 2008 figures for zoonotic infections and agents in humans, animals and foodstuffs in the 27 EU Member States, the European Economic Area and Switzerland [1]. Information aimed at protecting human health is collected and analysed according to the Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC [2]. Assisted by the Zoonoses Collaboration Centre (ZCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, EFSA and ECDC jointly analysed the data. The results of this report highlight the importance of close collaboration between public health specialists and veterinarians and the need for robust surveillance systems in order to detect trends in zoonoses in Europe.

<b><i>Aim:</i></b> To examine the long-term predictors of persistence of risky drinking in a baseline group of risky drinkers in whom alcohol use disorder had not been diagnosed. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The data was derived from a representative sample of the Finnish adult population aged 30 years or more, surveyed at 2 time points in the years 2000 (<i>n</i> = 5,726) and 2011 (<i>n</i> = 3,848, 67.2% of the baseline sample). Risky drinking was defined using BSQF-measurement (for men, 21 standard UK drinks or more per week; for women 14+ drinks) and not having alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. The sample of risky drinkers in baseline comprised 642 persons, of whom 380 (59.2%) people provided follow-up data. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to identify determinants of persistence of risky drinking. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The rate for persistence of risky drinking was 48.7%. Persistence was predicted by daily smoking, low physical activity, and male gender, whereas higher age and later onset of drinking predicted cessation of risky drinking. Daily smoking remained an independent predictor after adjusting for other risk factors. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Health behaviour predicts the persistence of risky drinking in a study population of adults aged 30 and over. These factors should be taken into account when assessing the long-term prognosis on risky drinking<i>.</i>

Room. R., Bloomfield, K., Gmel, G., Grittner, U., Gustafsson, N.-K., Mäkelä, P., Österberg, E., Ramstedt, M., Rehm, J. & Wicki, M. (2013). What happened to alcohol consumption and problems in the Nordic countries when alcohol taxes were decreased and borders opened? International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(1), 77-87. doi:10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.58 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.58)Aims: The study tests the effects of reductions in alcohol taxation and increases in travellers' allowances on alcohol consumption and related harm in Denmark, Finland, and southern Sweden. In late 2003 and early 2004, taxes on alcoholic beverages were reduced in Denmark and Finland, and the abolition of quantitative quotas on alcohol import for personal use from other European Union countries made cheaper alcohol more available in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.Method: Analyses of routine statistical register data and summaries of results from longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional population surveys and other previous analyses, with northern Sweden as a control site for secular trends.Results: Contrary to expectations, alcohol consumption—as based on register data—increased only in Finland and not in Denmark and southern Sweden, and self-reported survey data did not show an increase in any site. In Finland, alcohol-attributable harms in register data increased, especially in people with low socio-economic status. Few such effects were found in Denmark and southern Sweden. Neither did results for self-reported alcohol-attributable problems show any general increases in the three sites. These results remained after controlling for regression to the mean and modelling of drop-outs.Conclusions: Harms measured in register data did tend to increase in the short term with the policy change, particularly in Finland, where the tax changes were broader. But reducing price and increasing availability does not always increase alcohol consumption and harm. Effects are dampened in affluent societies, and other factors may intervene. The results for Finland also suggest some limits for general population surveys in testing for relatively small policy effects.