Credit: Shutterstock
On Monday 9 September 2024, the Health Directorate within Luxembourg's Ministry of Health and Social Security published the 2023 epidemiological report on infectious diseases in the Grand Duchy.
The report provides an analysis of the data collected by the infectious diseases surveillance system for 2023. It highlights the main epidemiological trends and significant developments observed in Luxembourg.
Respiratory infections: impact of legislative changes
As reported by the ministry, 2023 was marked by the repeal, in March, of the mandatory isolation of patients testing positive by PCR for COVID-19, which led to a significant drop in the number of COVID-19 cases reported – 6,000 in January compared to around 1,500 in April.
Data analysis also suggests that COVID-19 is not a seasonal virus, unlike influenza, with a major epidemic every winter.
Re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases
The report highlighted the re-emergence of some vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough. A resurgence of cases was observed in late 2023, particularly among adolescents.
Changes in habits behind the rise of some diseases
With the normalisation of travel frequency after the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in gastrointestinal and foodborne diseases has been noted; these include cryptosporidiosis and salmonellosis. Similarly, cases of imported vector-borne diseases such as dengue have also increased.
Regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs), an increase in cases of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis has been noted in Luxembourg as in other European countries.
Major advances and new perspectives
One of the major advances of 2023, noted the ministry, was the introduction of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surveillance, thanks to an infant immunisation campaign with nirsevimab, an injectable monoclonal antibody. Through this initiative, Luxembourg became one of the first countries in the world to set up an infant immunisation campaign, allowing a significant reduction in paediatric hospitalisations for RSV during the winter of 2023-2024. However, the virus experienced a wave that peaked just before the end-of-year holidays.
The ministry added that the Health Directorate plans to measure the acceptance and impact of maternal vaccination against RSV, which will be offered from autumn 2024.
To further strengthen the quality of the surveillance system, the report proposed several areas for improvement, including the inclusion of clinical data on reported diseases, the implementation of better identification of newly acquired chronic infections and the improvement of the metadata transferred with precision on the origin of the samples.
These measures are expected to make it possible to better assess the quality of data and ensure a more effective response to future epidemic threats.
The full 2023 epidemiological report is available (in French) on sante.lu.
