[Rare infectious diseases in Germany. Obligatory notification results].

Rare infectious diseases are of great importance in Germany: Some of them require special measures and precautions to prevent spreading (e.g. virus caused hemorrhagic fevers). For others, e.g. infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, the prevention aspects are important. Summarizing descriptions for several rare diseases which together describe the situation in Germany are only possible on the basis of the notification requirements. The legal obligation for notification represents a good prerequisite to register diseases occurring in Germany. With the introduction of the Protection against Infection Act in 2001 the quality of the available data was improved by using case definitions. The evaluation of existing information indicates: On the basis of the available data there is no evidence that in the foreseeable future a noticeable increase of isolated rare diseases could pose a threat in Germany.