We have opened a new call for ESCMID Local Champions who act as society advocates within their countries and benefit from certain privileges. You can see the list of countries who already have a champion and if your country isn’t there, be sure to apply!

Science & Research

The last part of the of the BDBV vaccine webinar series is taking place tomorrow afternoon from 14:00–15:30 CEST. Join speakers from Africa CDC, WHO AFRO and UNICEF to discuss lessons learned from ebola and mpox in readiness and preparing vaccination programmes.

World AMR Awareness week (WAAW) is celebrated each year on 18–24 November. The theme for WAAW 2026 is “One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now” and ESCMID is taking part once again. The AMR Action Subcommittee is organising a webinar series leading up to WAAW and you can learn more and save the dates by visiting our website.

Education

Build up your knowledge on a topic that deserves increasing attention. Learn to recognise emerging trends and challenges and how to integrate modern strategies to support proper treatment and build prevention strategies for STIs.

This course provides a comprehensive view of the concepts of surveillance of infectious diseases and a European perspective on infection prevention and control, including hands-on experience on practical issues. This course is part of the EUCIC Certificate course but is also open for additional participants.

Registration is closing in one week for the 3rd UEMS European Examination in Medical Microbiology taking place 28 November. This joint exam between UEMS and ESCMID aligns with the UEMS Core Training Programme for Medical Microbiology, European best practice guidelines, and key recent publications from leading scientific journals.

Congress & Events

This is the last chance to claim your CME points for ESCMID Global 2026. Be sure to fill in the survey before it closes next week on 21 October. The 2026 virtual congress platform will also close at the end of the month. Scientific sessions will be available then on ESCMID Media.

Guidelines & Journals

ESCMID is inviting applications from interested experts to contribute to the development of five new clinical guidelines projects. Learn more about the projects, responsibilities and process on our website. The deadline to apply is 10 November.

The Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 deaths, with two exported cases: a fatal case in Kenya and a healthcare worker evacuated to the Netherlands. Measles remains a global concern, with the burden concentrated in Africa and South Asia, over 55,792 confirmed cases in the Americas, and continued transmission in high-income settings. Northern Mexico is experiencing a multi-state surge in spotted fever group rickettsiosis, with a national case fatality rate above 44%. In Russia, WHO has assessed the fatal case of undiagnosed pneumonia in a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute and, as of 11 October, found no evidence of ongoing transmission, although clarification on the extent of the public health response is still pending. In Europe, locally acquired dengue continues in Italy, which has reported 68 cases across six active clusters including a newly identified one in Rome. Additionally, a rapidly accelerating dengue outbreak in Bangladesh has exceeded 92,000 hospitalisations.

Group B Streptococcus serotype-specific IgG immunity in mother–newborn dyads in South Asian and African countries: a multicountry study, 2016–2018