Biological agents and pandemics: review of the literature and national policies TE-31-09-207-EN-N Biological agents and pandemics: review of the literature and national policies BIOLOGICAL AGENTS AND PANDEMICS: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND NATIONAL POLICIES EU-OSHA – European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 1 Biological agents and pandemics: review of the literature and national policies Authors: Project Manager: Joanna Kosk-Bienko and Elke Schneider, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) Project Leader: Zofia Pawłowska, Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy CIOP-PIB, Poland Correspondents and experts: A. Schieder, S. Kaluza, Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA), Germany L. Zapor, M. Pęciłło, Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (CIOP-PIB), Poland H. Taskinen, T. Hannu, Tyoterveyslaitos Institutet for Arbetshygien (FIOH), Finland C. Lebacle, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité pour la prévention des accidents du travail et des maladies professionnelles (INRS), France M. Tejedor, A. Miron, A. Hernández, Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el trabajo (INSHT), Spain S. Van Herpe, W. De Craecker, Karen, Institut pour la Prévention et le bien-être au travail/Instituut voor Preventie en Welzijn op het Werk (PREVENT), Belgium This report was commissioned by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of EU-OSHA. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers, or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found on the cover of this publication. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009 ISBN -13: 978-92-9191-272-8 DOI: 10.2802/14733 © European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2009 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. EU-OSHA – European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) 2 Biological agents and pandemics: review of the literature and national policies Table of Contents List of figures and tables:........................................................................................................................ 5 Executive summary ................................................................................................................................ 7 1. General Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 9 2. Aims of the work and methodology............................................................................................. 11 3. Prevalence of diseases caused by infectious biological agents and their occurrence in occupational setting .................................................................................................................... 13 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 13 3.2. Blood borne pathogens............................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 14 3.2.2. Prevalence of diseases caused by blood borne pathogens ........................................... 14 3.2.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 17 3.3. Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers........................................................................................................ 19 3.3.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 19 3.3.2. Prevalence of viral haemorrhagic fevers ........................................................................ 20 3.3.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 22 3.4. Q – fever ..................................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 23 3.4.2. Prevalence of Q-fever..................................................................................................... 23 3.4.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 24 3.5. Influenza ..................................................................................................................................... 25 3.5.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 25 3.5.2. Prevalence of influenza................................................................................................... 25 3.5.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 26 3.6. Avian Influenza ........................................................................................................................... 27 3.6.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 27 3.6.2. Prevalence of avian influenza......................................................................................... 27 3.6.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 28 3.7. SARS .......................................................................................................................................... 29 3.7.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 29 3.7.2. Prevalence of SARS ....................................................................................................... 29 3.7.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 29 3.8. Legionella.................................................................................................................................... 30 3.8.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 30 3.8.2. Prevalence of Legionnaires' Disease.............................................................................. 30 3.8.3. Works/occupations at risk............................................................................................... 32 3.9. Tuberculosis................................................................................................................................ 32 3.9.1. Basic characteristics ....................................................................................................... 32 3.9.2. Prevalence of Tuberculosis............................................................................................. 33 EU-OSHA – European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) 3 Biological agents and pandemics: review of the literature and national policies 3.9.3. Works/occupations at risk ...............................................................................................35 3.10. Anthrax .....................................................................................................................................36 3.10.1. Basic characteristics........................................................................................................36 3.10.2. Prevalence of anthrax .....................................................................................................36 3.10.3. Works/occupations at risk ...............................................................................................37 3.11. Tularemia..................................................................................................................................38 3.11.1. Basic characteristics........................................................................................................38 3.11.2. Prevalence of Tularemia .................................................................................................39 3.11.3. Works/occupations at risk ...............................................................................................40 3.12. Plague ......................................................................................................................................40 3.13. Smallpox...................................................................................................................................41 3.14. Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and health outcomes.......................................................42 3.14.1. Basic characteristics........................................................................................................42 3.14.2. Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms..........................................................43