News Releases

No. 58/07
May 31, 2007

EXTENSIVELY DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS; EU MEMBER STATES AGREE ON COORDINATED MEASURES CONCERNING INFECTED AIR PASSENGER

At a meeting chaired by the European Commission and held at the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) in Stockholm yesterday, authorities responsible for taking measures in the European Union Member States agreed to follow the ECDC's advice, requested by the Commission on May 29, on the case of a US passenger with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) traveling on flights between Europe and North America. As a precautionary measure and following recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), the ECDC's advice is to perform contact tracing for passengers two rows ahead, two rows behind and the row of the infected passenger, and the cabin crew concerned. The ECDC's advice is that the risk for these persons is very limited, other passengers are not considered at risk. The passengers will be contacted by the corresponding national health authorities, as the Member States are responsible for tracing their own nationals. The distribution of the relevant information from the airlines for this process will be coordinated by the ECDC.

Background

The European Commission had on May 29 requested the ECDC to provide a risk assessment to the Commission and public health authorities across Europe, following an alert posted by Italy on the EU Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) on the case of a US passenger with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) traveling on flights between Europe and North America.

The two concerned flights are:

Air France #385, departing Atlanta on May 12 and arriving in Paris on May 13, 2007

Czech Air #410, departing Prague, Czech Republic, to Montreal, Canada, on May 24, 2007.

Further Contact Information
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
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