Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Verbraucherschutz und Gesundheit Brandenburg (LAVG) - EPIET

Contact person

Claudia Siffczyk

Tel. +49 331 868-835

Fax. +49 331 868-809

Description of the institute

The health department of the Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Verbraucherschutz und Gesundheit (LAVG) is the competent state authority responsible for the prevention, detection and control of emerging health hazards and for health reporting within the Federal State of Brandenburg (2,5 Mio inhabitants). It serves as a link between the Ministry of Health and 18 local health authorities. Health indicators as well as health risks are surveyed continuously. The results are the base for recommendations on prevention measures, e.g. on federal vaccination recommendations. The health department maintains a close collaboration with other institutions of the public health system on national and federal level. It coordinates measures in supra-regional health associated events. Further in close cooperation with the department of Food Safety we offer teaching opportunities and investigations of foodborne outbreaks.

Within the LAVG, with its 325 employees (2018), the department of health has currently 59 employees (2020). The health department consists of four units (academic and other health professions, pharmacies, medical products and infection control and health monitoring). The unit of infection control and health monitoring comprises tasks in the areas of infectious disease, epidemiology, surveillance, environmental health, health monitoring and reporting, and civil health protection.

One focus of the unit is the interpretation of the incidence of vaccine preventable infectious diseases linked to the regional vaccination coverage rates in order to assess the effectiveness of both national and federal state vaccination recommendations. The monitoring of vaccination status of each child is one mandatory part of the state run paediatric check-ups both in kindergartens/pre-school and at school (at the entrance of primary school and for graduates). Therefore, we evaluate the vaccination coverage rates in regard to the set goals in the vaccination strategy of Brandenburg.

One other task of the unit is the central invitation centre for health check-ups for every child in Brandenburg. In addition to the invitation, it monitors the participation and sends reminders if necessary. These regular check-ups are important for administering missing vaccinations. Via our comprehensive vaccination monitoring of children we can show that this centralized invitation programme has a high impact on improving the vaccination status of Brandenburg’s children.

According to national and state regulations on communicable diseases, the health department`s unit of infection control and health monitoring continuously surveys and assesses the situation of notifiable infectious diseases and important health indicators in Brandenburg. The main goal is early detection and timely protection of population at risk. The main fields of the unit are: monitoring and prevention of spread of notifiable infectious diseases, monitoring of vaccination in targeted populations, health reporting, and support of the Health Ministry in medical disaster management and environmental health protection. Health indicators for children and the elderly is systematically recorded, analysed and evaluated. Epidemiological data are continuously collected, analysed and interpreted to inform health- related political decision making.

The tasks and activities include:

• The execution of legal duties in terms of surveillance and reporting of mandatory notifiable infectious diseases in Brandenburg, data collected through routine reporting and dedicated epidemiological surveys (e.g. TBE)
• The continuous surveillance and assessment of the epidemic situation
• The development and evaluation of strategies for prevention of infectious diseases (e.g. vaccination recommendations)
• Delivery of data analysis for the State Ministry of Health for special enquiries (e.g. press enquiries or enquiries of the Legislative Assembly of Brandenburg)
• Support of local health authorities in infectious disease management and case control and hygiene requirements to be fulfilled
• Monitoring vaccination in targeted populations (focus on children and youth, the elderly)
• Management of vaccine supply for local health authorities according to the federal state agreement with the health insurances
• Networking with stakeholders to improve and implement vaccination programmes
• Cooperation with other federal states, national and international public health authorities
• Conducting studies, e. g. on the effects of rotavirus vaccination on rotavirus infections in children
• Outbreak investigations, particularly for foodborne outbreaks
• Developing guidelines, e. g. on outbreak management of foodborne outbreaks
• Teaching: The unit offers teaching for public health professionals in monitoring infectious diseases according to the federal requirements set by Robert Koch-Institute (RKI), as well as on special topics, e.g. outbreak investigation
• Communication: Health and disease information is continuously provided for the public, medical professionals and the public health offices online(http://www.gesundheitsplattform.brandenburg.de), weekly reports are provided for the local health authorities on current topics of infectious diseases and monthly press releases are provided for the Brandenburg Medical Association Journal. In addition, study results have been presented on national and international conferences and published in scientific journals.

From 2021 onwards the health department of the Brandenburg State Office will be located in the beautiful city of Potsdam, the capital of the federal State of Brandenburg and therefore within close proximity to the location of the RKI (Berlin) allowing even closer cooperation and also short term personal meetings with experts at RKI, if necessary, e.g. for common projects.

Training opportunities

The EPIET fellow will be based within the Department of Health in the Unit of Infection Control and Health Reporting. The unit offers various training opportunities and projects. Projects will depend on the scientific background, experience and personal interest of the fellow. The fellow will take part in routine infectious disease surveillance, will get a good knowledge of the notification system for infectious diseases in Germany. The fellow will be able to take part in outbreak investigations, e.g. in order to support local health authorities in surveys of vaccination status targeting risk groups in Brandenburg, in teaching public health professionals, in evaluation of surveillance systems and the design and conduction of epidemiological studies.

The fellow will have the possibility to enroll in the Master of Science in Applied Epidemiology (MSAE) program (120 ECTS points) which is organized by RKI and the Charité University. Further the fellow will benefit from the excellent PAE/EPIET infrastructure at the RKI including weekly meetings (via telephone conferences or in person).

Training supervision

The EPIET fellow will be mainly supervised by Claudia Siffczyk. Claudia is an MS-track EPIET fellow who graduated from EPIET in 2017. Further members of the interdisciplinary team of supervisors will be the head of the department Prof. Dr. Stefan Kropp, the head of the unit Dr. Sascha Jatzkowski, as well as further scientific officers with strong epidemiologic and statistical background, respectively very good experience in surveillance of infectious diseases, depending on the projects chosen.

Language requirements

A good working knowledge of German is necessary to communicate with the local authorities and therefore a necessary requirement for carrying out the projects. Support in finding German classes will be offered. Good English skills are beneficial.

Training history

• The site is quite new and was acknowledged in 2015.
• Number of EPIET fellows trained at the institute: One, Claudia as MS-Track EPIET fellow (cohort 2015).
• Number of German FETP (PAE) fellows trained at the institute: One (cohort 2017).
• Number of alumni working at the institute: One.