Large outbreak of tularaemia, central Sweden, July to September 2019

Euro Surveill. 2019 Oct;24(42):1900603. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.42.1900603.

Abstract

On 31 of July 2019, the Public Health Agency of Sweden was alerted about an increasing number of tularaemia cases in Gävleborg, a county in central Sweden. The number of cases increased thereafter peaking at about 150 reports of illnesses every week. As at 6 October, a total of 979 cases (734 laboratory-confirmed) have been reported, mainly from counties in central Sweden. The outbreak is now considered over (as at 14 October).

Keywords: Francisella tularensis; Sweden; mosquito bites; outbreak; tularaemia; vector borne disease.

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / microbiology*
  • Animals
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Female
  • Francisella tularensis / genetics*
  • Francisella tularensis / isolation & purification*
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Mosquito Vectors
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Sweden / epidemiology
  • Tularemia / diagnosis
  • Tularemia / epidemiology*
  • Tularemia / microbiology