The EVD-LabNet is strengthening capacity for early detection and surveillance of (re)emerging viral diseases in the EU/EEA countries and EU Candidate Countries.
The Emerging and Vector-borne Diseases (EVD) team of ECDC communicates, consults and cooperates with EVD-Net on surveillance, response, prevention, control and preparedness aspects of EVDs and vectors, with particular focus on country needs and country support possibilities.
ECDC promotes the performance of external quality assessment (EQA) schemes, in which laboratories are sent simulated clinical specimens or bacterial isolates for testing by routine or reference laboratory methods. EQA schemes, or laboratory proficiency testing, provide information about the accuracy of different characterisation and typing methods as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and the sensitivity of the methods in place to detect a certain pathogen or novel resistance patterns.
ECDC Director Marc Sprenger addressed MEPs of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety regarding the ongoing Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa.
This workshop on AMR in Salmonella and Campylobacter was arranged in cooperation with the FWD Network and the EU reference laboratory for antimicrobial resistance network.
Emerging diseases and outbreak investigations, whole genome sequencing-based surveillance and public health risks related to animal and food imports to the EU/EEA were some of the topics under discussion during the Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses Network meeting.