Re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe after easing the COVID-19 lockdown, September 2021

Kimberley Sm Benschop , Jan Albert , Andres Anton , Cristina Andrés , Maitane Aranzamendi , Brynja Armannsdóttir , Jean-Luc Bailly (1) , Fausto Baldanti , Guðrún Erna Baldvinsdóttir , Stuart Beard , Natasa Berginc , Sindy Böttcher , Soile Blomqvist , Laura Bubba , Cristina Calvo , Maria Cabrerizo , Annalisa Cavallero , Cristina Celma , Ferruccio Ceriotti , Inês Costa , Simon Cottrell , Margarita del Cuerpo , Jonathan Dean , Jennifer Dembinski , Sabine Diedrich , Javier Diez-Domingo , Dagnyhaug Dorenberg , Erwin Duizer , Robert Dyrdak , Diana Fanti , Agnes Farkas , Susan Feeney , Jacky Flipse , Cillian de Gascun , Cristina Galli , Irina Georgieva , Laura Gifford , Raquel Guiomar , Mario Hönemann , Niina Ikonen , Marion Jeannoël , Laurence Josset , Kathrin Keeren , F Xavier López-Labrador , Melanie Maier , James Mckenna , Adam Meijer , Beatriz Mengual-Chuliá , Sofie Midgley , Audrey Mirand (2, 1) , Milagrosa Montes , Catherine Moore , Ursula Morley , Jean-Luc Murk , Lubomira Nikolaeva-Glomb , Sanela Numanovic , Massimo Oggioni , Paula Palminha , Elena Pariani , Laura Pellegrinelli , Antonio Piralla , Corinna Pietsch , Luis Piñeiro , Núria Rabella , Petra Rainetova , Sara Colonia Uceda Renteria , María Romero , Marijke Reynders , Lieuwe Roorda , Carita Savolainen-Kopra , Isabelle Schuffenecker , Aysa Soynova , Caroline Ma Swanink , Tina Ursic , Jaco Verweij , Jorgina Vila , Tytti Vuorinen , Peter Simmonds , Thea Fischer , Heli Harvala

1 LMGE - Laboratoire Microorganismes : Génome et Environnement
2 CHU Clermont-Ferrand

We report a rapid increase in enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infections, with 139 cases reported from eight European countries between 31 July and 14 October 2021. This upsurge is in line with the seasonality of EV-D68 and was presumably stimulated by the widespread reopening after COVID-19 lockdown. Most cases were identified in September, but more are to be expected in the coming months. Reinforcement of clinical awareness, diagnostic capacities and surveillance of EV-D68 is urgently needed in Europe.

Domaines: Virologie; Biodiversité et Ecologie; Environnement et Société; Milieux et Changements globaux; Ingénierie de l'environnement

Kimberley Sm Benschop, Jan Albert, Andres Anton, Cristina Andrés, Maitane Aranzamendi, et al.. Re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe after easing the COVID-19 lockdown, September 2021. Eurosurveillance, 2021, 26 (45), ⟨10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.45.2100998⟩. ⟨hal-03465818⟩