This protocol describes a survey undertaken to acquire a snapshot of the distribution of Clostridioides difficile strains in tertiary acute care hospitals in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) in 2022–2023
Version 6.1 is the final protocol for the third EU-wide point prevalence survey in acute care hospitals (PPS 2022–2023). It contains important changes compared to protocol version 5.3 (PPS 2016–2017), including on healthcare-associated COVID-19.
Urgent action is required to improve efforts to prevent hepatitis B and C infections in the EU/EEA and the UK if the region is to meet the 2020 targets for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a serious threat to public health. Significant gaps in the reported data in relation to prevalence and prevention of HBV and HCV in EU/EEA and the UK present a major challenge to monitoring progress towards the targets for elimination of hepatitis.
European surveillance data show on-going transmission of viral hepatitis across the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). The available notification data however, do not provide a clear epidemiological picture of hepatitis C in Europe. Prevalence data from population surveys are a key source of information to complement the surveillance data for hepatitis C due to the limitations of surveillance for hepatitis: the infection is often asymptomatic and notifications are strongly influenced by local testing practices. The overarching aim of this toolkit is to gain a better understanding of the HCV epidemiology in the EU/EEA.
This guidance aims to provide EU/EEA countries with an evidence-based framework to help develop, implement, monitor and evaluate their own national HBV, HCV and HIV testing guidelines and programmes.
This protocol is to ensure standardisation of definitions, data collection and reporting procedures for hospitals participating in the national/regional surveillance of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units across Europe.
Version 5.3 is the final protocol for the second EU-wide point prevalence survey (PPS 2016–2017). It contains major changes compared to protocol version 4.3 (PPS 2011–2012). Compared to versions 5.1 (January 2016) and 5.2 (May 2016), the current version only contains a few corrections, editorial changes and clarifications.
This protocol is the final ECDC point prevalence survey (PPS) validation protocol, which was adapted according to the findings of the pilot validation study and discussed with experts from Member States at a meeting in London on 5 March 2012.
ECDC is addressing the harmonisation and improvement of pertussis diagnosis for surveillance and outbreak detection/monitoring in order to assure quality and comparability of data. The guidance and protocol are intended for real-time PCR on DNA extracted from clinical specimens obtained from patients with suspected whooping cough (i.e. Bordetella pertussis or B. parapertussis).
This response plan is designed to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (MDR NG) in the EU/EEA in the context of the possible emergence of untreatable gonorrhoea