Handbook on using the ECDC preparedness checklist tool to strengthen preparedness against communicable disease outbreaks at migrant reception/detention centres

The increasing number of people entering the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) as asylum seekers and irregular migrants has challenged public health authorities to provide relevant, proportionate and appropriate services, including communicable disease-related services. As a consequence, migrant reception facilities in many EU/EEA Member States have the potential to be overwhelmed by higher numbers of migrants than the sites were originally designed for. 

In order to support EU/EEA Member States in improving preparedness at migrant hosting sites where there is the potential for sudden influxes of migrants, ECDC has commissioned the development of a preparedness checklist tool. This Excel tool will help establish a quick and flexible evidence-based approach to assessing reception/detention centre needs for communicable disease control, particularly in the event of a sudden influx of migrants.

The checklist tool described in this handbook is intended for EU/EEA public health authorities who need to assess the capacity for communicable disease prevention and control at migrant reception/detention centres hosting migrants in the medium-term in order to identify gaps and set priorities for development.