Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome: an analysis of the outbreaks in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 2005.

This article aims to describe the Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) situation in 2005 in five neighbouring countries (Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and define the most affected areas. The 2005 HFRS outbreaks in these countries were the most significant in the region since 1990, with a total of 1,114 confirmed cases. The main feature of the epidemic was the extension of the known endemic area in several of the affected countries, with the involvement of urban areas for the first time. A significant increase in the number of cases was noted for the first time in the province of Liège in Belgium and in the Jura department in France.