Relationship between Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) antibody serology and time spent outdoors.

Background/aim: From 2007 through 2010, the Netherlands experienced the largest recorded Q fever outbreak to date. People living closer to Coxiella burnetii infected goat farms were at increased risk for acute Q fever. Time spent outdoors near infected farms may have contributed to exposure to C.

Timeliness of infectious disease reporting, the Netherlands, 2003 to 2017: law change reduced reporting delay, disease identification delay is next.

BackgroundTimely notification of infectious diseases is essential for effective disease control and needs regular evaluation.AimOur objective was to evaluate the effects that statutory adjustments in the Netherlands in 2008 and raising awareness during outbreaks had on notification timeliness.MethodsIn a retrospective analyses of routine surveillance data obtained between July 2003 and November 2017, delays between disease onset and laboratory confirmation (disease identification delay), between laboratory confirmation and notification to Municipal Health Services (notification delay) and between notification and reporting to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (reporting delay) were analysed for 28 notifiable diseases.

The impact of demographic change on the estimated future burden of infectious diseases: examples from hepatitis B and seasonal influenza in the Netherlands.

Background: For accurate estimation of the future burden of communicable diseases, the dynamics of the population at risk - namely population growth and population ageing - need to be taken into account. Accurate burden estimates are necessary for informing policy-makers regarding the planning of vaccination and other control, intervention, and prevention measures. Our aim was to qualitatively explore the impact of population ageing on the estimated future burden of seasonal influenza and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the Netherlands, in the period 2000-2030.