Network for the Microbial Safety of Substances of Human Origin (SoHO-Net)

ECDC’s Network for the Microbial Safety of Substances of Human Origin (SoHO-Net) was established to facilitate cooperation between ECDC and European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) Member States. This collaboration brings together nominated EU/EEA professionals working in all types of SoHO entities and establishments.
SoHO-Net ensures the implementation of the requirements on ECDC’s relations with Member States stated in Regulation (EC) No 2022/2370. These include:

•    strategic and operational collaboration on technical and scientific issues;
•    surveillance;
•    responses to health threats;
•    scientific opinions;
•    scientific and technical assistance;
•    collection of data;
•    identification of emerging health threats;
•    public information campaigns related to the safety of SoHO.

The main objectives of SoHO-Net are to:
•    encourage cooperation between Member States;
•    help ensure that SoHO are microbially safe by monitoring, assessing, and helping to address relevant disease outbreaks that can pose cross-border threats to health; and
•    safeguard patients in need of SoHO.

SoHO-Net comprises the national focal points (NFPs) that are nominated by the national competent bodies in EU/EEA, and contains experts in blood, tissues and cells, organs, and medically-assisted reproduction. Experts are organised into four groups, according to the SoHO type.

In addition to NFPs, SoHO-Net hosts observers from numerous relevant EU/EEA/global professional associations and EU/EEA bodies and agencies.

ECDC and SoHO-Net cooperate and communicate through diverse types of meetings:
•    annual meetings of NFP groups (if needed, additional virtual NFP groups meetings can be organised);
•    ad-hoc working groups for specific planned tasks, according to the annual work plan;
•    ad-hoc emergency meetings of the experts relevant for the topic, as needed.