Joint meeting of the EU/EEA and WHO European Region Surveillance Network for Tuberculosis 2024
ECDC and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) recently concluded a crucial joint meeting focused on enhancing tuberculosis (TB) surveillance and monitoring across the WHO European Region.
The meeting took place on 13-15 May in the Hague, the Netherlands and addressed various topics, including data reporting and monitoring, updates on surveillance guidelines, and ongoing collaborative initiatives between ECDC and WHO/Europe.
The main aim of the meeting was to discuss the Tuberculosis Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023-2030 and the forthcoming updates to the WHO global TB surveillance guidelines. These discussions are essential for aligning regional strategies with the global targets set by the End TB strategy and the commitments from the 2023 United Nations High-level Meeting on TB.
Key objectives included:
- Improving data reporting and monitoring practices in line with the TB action plan.
- Updating participants on revised definitions and their impact on TB surveillance in Europe.
- Identifying current needs in TB surveillance to achieve regional and global elimination targets.
- Informing attendees about ongoing and planned activities by ECDC and WHO/Europe.
The meeting included delegates representing the Western Balkans and Türkiye, underscoring the commitment to engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the regional fight against TB. ECDC is supporting countries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to prepare them to participate in the Centre's activities, as part of a project funded by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission
This gathering served as an important step in the ongoing efforts to strengthen TB surveillance and control measures across Europe.
Background
Under the joint coordination of ECDC and the WHO/EURO, the network collects, validates, analyses and disseminates European TB surveillance data. The purpose of the network is to identify epidemiological patterns of TB in the region and monitor progress towards TB elimination, with key surveillance and monitoring findings published in an annual report. In addition, the network aims to further strengthen TB surveillance in Europe.
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