First Annual General Meeting of VectorNet
The First Annual meeting of the new joint ECDC-EFSA project ‘VectorNet’, the European network for sharing data on the geographic distribution of arthropod vectors, transmitting human and animal disease agents, was held on 27-29 January 2015 in Parma.
Vector-Net supports the collection of data on vectors and pathogens in vectors, related to both animal and human health, in line with the EU “One Health” initiative. The project contributes to a timely and appropriate response for vector-borne diseases in the EU. ECDC and EFSA planned to create a common database on the presence and distribution of vectors and pathogens in vectors in Europe and the Mediterranean through developing a network of experts and organisations from the medical and veterinary domains.
The overall objective of this meeting was to present the VectorNet objectives and tasks, to present the VectorNet consortium (an extended consortium of top experts in medical and animal entomology and public and animal health) and its functioning, and to review the data collection protocols and validation rules.
In particular the First Annual Meeting focused on:
- Presenting the objectives and strategic planning of the VectorNet project;
- Presenting the new data collection tool for geographic distribution of vectors in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin;
- Review of the validation and quality assessment criteria used in the data collection tool;
- Overall strategy of entomological field collection and review the 2015 protocols;
- Assessment of possible methodologies for abundance mapping;
- Review of the network members’ contributions and data sharing;
- Strengthening the links and collaborations between animal health and public health within the One Health approach.
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