2007/875/EC: Commission Decision of 18 December 2007 amending Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Decision 2000/96/EC as regards communicable diseases listed in those decisions (notified under document number C(2007) 6355) (Text with EEA relevance )
Date: 2007-12-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: disease prevention, epidemiology, health control, infectious disease, information network

L 344/48

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

28.12.2007

COMMISSION DECISION

of 18 December 2007

amending Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Decision
2000/96/EC as regards communicable diseases listed in those decisions

(notified under document number C(2007) 6355)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/875/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 1998 setting
up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control
in the Community (1), and in
of communicable diseases
particular Article 3(a).

(4)

(5)

Whereas:

The Annexes
to Decisions No 2119/98/EC and
No 2000/96/EC should therefore be amended in order
to cover Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS),
avian influenza in humans and West Nile virus infection.

The new International Health Regulations (2005) entered
into force on 16 June 2007 and are no longer restricted
to specific diseases but cover all public health emer-
gencies of
such
according to the instrument provided in Annex 2 of
the Regulations.
is therefore appropriate to amend
It
the Annex of Decision 2119/98/EC.

concern identified as

international

(1)

(2)

(3)

Decision No 2119/98/EC provides for the establishment
of a network at Community level
to promote coop-
eration and coordination regarding the prevention and
control of certain categories of communicable diseases
referred to in that Decision.

Commission Decision 2000/96/EC of 22 December
1999 on the communicable diseases to be progressively
covered by the Community network under Decision
No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council (2),
lists certain communicable diseases to be
in
covered
the
Decision
Community
No 2119/98/EC.

epidemiological
network

surveillance
under

set

up

by

New communicable diseases have recently emerged and
new micro organisms capable of endangering public
health have been identified. Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) appeared in 2003 and since then is
considered a potential high threat for public health. High
pathogenic and low pathogenic avian influenza viruses
pose a serious risk to individuals and the evolution
towards a potential pandemic influenza. West Nile
virus infection in humans has been recently reported
by an increasing number of Member States in the EU
and countries outside Europe constituting a serious risk
for public health. Humans are mainly infected through
mosquito bites, although infection through blood trans-
fusion and organ transplantation has been documented,
as well as trans-placental transmission.

(6)

The measures provided for
in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Committee set up
by Article 7 of Decision No 2119/98/EC,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The Annex to Decision No 2119/98/EC is amended in
accordance with Annex I to this Decision.

Article 2

Annex I to Decision 2000/96/EC is amended in accordance
with Annex II to this Decision.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2007.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 268, 3.10.1998, p. 1. Decision as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 1882/2003 (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).

(2) OJ L 28, 3.2.2000, p. 50. Decision as amended by Decision

2003/542/EC (OJ L 185, 24.7.2003, p. 55).

28.12.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 344/49

ANNEX I

The Annex to Decision No 2119/98/EC is amended as follows:

1. The eighth indent is replaced with the following:

‘— Communicable diseases which may lead to potential emergencies of international concern identified according to

Annex 2 of the International Health Regulations.’

2. The last indent is replaced by the following:

‘— Vector borne diseases

— Zoonotic diseases

— Other communicable diseases of public health importance including diseases caused by deliberate release.’

ANNEX II

Annex I to Decision 2000/96/EC is amended as follows:

1.

in point 2.5.2 the following terms are added:

‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)’;

2.

in point 2.5.3 the following terms are added:

‘Avian influenza in humans’;

‘West Nile virus infection’