For some time now, alphaviruses, including well-known viruses like chikungunya virus, have not only been a problem in tropical regions. Due to climate change and the associated spread of mosquitoes as vectors the number of documented infections is also on the rise in Europe. Precise diagnostics and epidemiological monitoring are becoming more and more important
Climate change, population growth, global travel and shifting lifestyles all increase both how likely and how quickly infectious diseases spread. This is especially true for arboviruses, which are vector-borne and include dengue virus, chikungunya virus and Oropouche virus. Oropouche fever in Brazil Brazil is a powerful example: Since the end of 2023, the incidence of
SARS-CoV-2, the bird flu A(H7N9), MPox – several new and worrying diseases have appeared over the past years which are a great challenge to public health. In order to protect the population, the responsible health authorities have a range of measures at hand to fight and prevent epidemics. Besides the development of vaccines and medications,
Well prepared for the flu season: diagnostics in the interest of public health At regular intervals, sometimes daily, the latest influenza figures are published. National health authorities around the world collect a variety of patient data. The data are compared with each other or with data from the previous week or from the same time
Currently, many patients are presenting themselves at the doctor’s with symptoms of the common cold, such as cough, runny nose, headache and fever. These symptoms are typical of this time of year and can be caused by a number of different pathogens. In many cases, only differential diagnostics can help to identify the pathogen and
