Project liaison officer: Francisco Santos-O’Connor
EuroTravNet is an expert network of travel and tropical medicine specialists, funded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The network’s activities include:
- providing valuable expertise on clinical diagnosis of the returned traveller; detection, identification and management of imported infections;
- supporting ECDC’s mandate to detect, verify, assess and communicate communicable diseases, which can be associated with travelling;
- providing ad hoc response to specific queries regarding potential outbreaks or trends in travel-related infections. EuroTravNet members support epidemic intelligence activities offering a 24/7 expertise duty service.
The network has enlarged from 32 members in 2008 to more than 50 in 2011. A network annual meeting takes place to allow exchange of expertise opinion on selected travel medicine topics identified in collaboration with ECDC.
EuroTravNet provides regular updates (science watch) on travel related diseases for publication on ECDC’s website, as well as periodic or ad-hoc reports on sentinel surveillance for selected imported diseases. In 2010 the project started to work on new tasks to support travel health advice in the EU such as developing an "information for travellers" section for ECDC disease factsheets. The network also provides an opportunity to share expertise, offer reference laboratory tools to members and survey specific diseases through collaboration with other networks.
Structure of the network (network leaders) and major deliverables:
WP 1: Secretariat and information management of the network (Dr. Philippe PAROLA, Marseille, Project Director): Single Network secretariat responsible for the overall administration of the EuroTravNet project. In addition, as part of work package 1, monthly updates on significant publications or developments regarding diseases covered by the tender are provided to ECDC, including an interpretation of groundbreaking information and new developments. These “scientific advances” are published on the ECDC website after a clearance process which involves review by ECDC expert staff.
WP 2: Guidance on “Travel risks, precautions and vaccination requirements” (Dr. Patricia SCHLAGENHAUF, Zürich, Coordinator, and working group members Pr. Gerd-Dieter BURCHARD, Hamburg, Pr. Frank von SONNENBURG, Munich, and Pr. Francesco CASTELLI, Brescia): This work package aims to integrate information for travellers in the ECDC disease fact sheets, and provide health information for travel to European Member States.
WP 3: Support to ECDC's Epidemic Intelligence and Response activities (Dr. Philippe GAUTRET, Marseille, Coordinator): Members actively participate in the ECDC epidemic intelligence activities and give advice and guidance for risk assessment using a 24/7 on-call system producing regular reports. Support is provided for the ECDC annual threat report, and regular updates on West Nile, dengue and chikungunya infections from the EuroTravNet travel medicine centres are provided.