6.2. Data sources

The results presented here are mainly based on official data for the year 2005 reported by the countries, and from Eurostat for data on trends for the years 1995–20041. This information is complemented with data from several other sources, including EU-funded dedicated surveillance networks (DSNs), and relevant articles from scientific journals2.

However, the data on which to build such conclusions are far from perfect, and one important lesson to draw is that surveillance of communicable diseases in the European Union must be improved. There are huge differences of accuracy, and hence usefulness, of the reported data, both between diseases and between Member States.