ECDC conducts technical visit to Moldova to discuss communicable disease surveillance

Upon request from the National Agency for Public Health of Moldova, the visit was organised under the EU Initiative on Health Security and as part of ECDC’s accession support activities. This visit was conducted following the methodology used for the Western Balkans and Türkiye and marked an important step in Moldova’s integration into ECDC’s work.  

The primary objective of the visit was to gain a comprehensive understanding of Moldova’s national communicable disease surveillance system, including its structure, governance, data collection processes, and current challenges. While not a formal evaluation of the country’s surveillance system or data quality, the visit provided valuable insights into the system’s strengths, vulnerabilities, and areas in which ECDC could provide tailored support in the future, helping Moldova to implement the EU acquis on serious cross-border health threats. 

ECDC’s team engaged in technical discussions with a broad range of national and territorial level experts across all key surveillance domains. The discussions focused on surveillance practices related to influenza and respiratory infections, HIV and viral hepatitis, food- and waterborne diseases, zoonotic and parasitic diseases, vaccine-preventable diseases, and healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance. A representative from the World Health Organization’s country office also participated in the discussions. 

The ECDC team included experts in data science, international cooperation, user support, and healthcare-associated infections. In addition to in-person meetings, ECDC’s experts conducted online training sessions on data reporting to The European Surveillance System (TESSy)/EpiPulse Cases.  

The visit concluded with a joint debriefing session summarising the key observations, strengths, and possible areas for further development. Initial conclusions were shared and preliminary priorities for future support from ECDC were discussed. The findings from the visit will help guide Moldova’s efforts in aligning with EU standards on surveillance of communicable diseases threats. 

Background: The EU Initiative on Health Security  

The EU Initiative on Health Security aims to enhance regional cooperation in EU candidate and potential candidate countries and European Neighbourhood Policy partner countries to strengthen their capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to serious cross-border health security threats. Funded by the European Commission and implemented by ECDC, the initiative focuses on workforce development, regional collaboration, and alignment with EU standards in matter of health security.