Risk Wire - Episode 1 - Linda Trönnberg & Theresa Enkirch - Hepatitis A Spike in Europe: What’s Behind the Surge?

ECDC: On Air

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Science

5 • 3 Ratings

🗓️ 27 June 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Why are hepatitis A cases rising sharply in parts of Europe - and what can public health professionals do about it?

In this episode of ECDC on Air, Linda Trönnberg - Principal Expert in Food-, Waterborne and Zoonotic Diseases, and Theresa Enkirch - Expert in Microbiology and Molecular Epidemiology break down the latest hepatitis A outbreak affecting Austria, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia, highlighting who is being most affected, how the virus is spreading, and what actions can help contain it.

From person-to-person transmission in areas with limited sanitation to the role of genomic sequencing and the importance of tailored outreach, this episode explores the science and strategy behind the response and what cross-border coordination can achieve.

This is the first episode in the series where we focus on the recently published Rapid RIsk Assesments on infectious diseases.

The RRA on Hepatitis A cases from 18 June 2025 can be found here.

For more on Hepatitis, check the dedicated pages on the ECDC portal.

More information on epidemiology in Europe in general can be found on our portal: https://ecdc.europa.eu and social media channels.

Transcript

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0:00.0	ECDC on air
0:05.2	The podcast of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control
0:08.8	Keeping up to date with European epidemiology
0:15.3	Hello and welcome to ECDC on Air,
0:17.7	the podcast of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
0:21.1	I'm your host, Andrea, recording from Stockholm, Sweden.
0:24.0	In today's episode, we're taking a closer look at a significant spike in hepatitis A cases
0:29.3	across four European countries.
0:31.4	This is affecting very specific groups, including people experiencing homelessness,
0:35.6	people who inject drugs, and communities with limited access to hygiene or healthcare.
0:53.7	To help us understand what's happening, why it matters and what can be done, I'm joined by Linda Tranberg,
1:00.3	principal expert in food, waterborne and zoonotic diseases, and Teresa Enkiyft, expert in microbiology
1:07.2	and molecular epidemiology here at ECDC. Welcome. Hello. Thanks. Nice to be here.
1:12.5	Let's set the scene. Linda, could you please explain briefly what hepatitis A is and how it spreads?
1:19.8	Hepatitis A is a viral liver disease that is spread mainly via the faecal oral route through
1:25.6	contaminated food or water or close personal contact with
1:29.4	an infected person.
1:31.0	And it's a vaccine preventable disease that most commonly affects people living in areas
1:36.6	with poor sanitation or inadequate hygiene.
1:39.1	And it does not cause chronic liver disease, but it can result in severe illness and death
1:44.7	even, especially in older or immunocompromised individuals.
1:48.7	Can you explain what the fecal oral route is?
	...

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