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.
The key objective of this meeting was to verify the rationale and objectives of molecular typing for surveillance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) through the hepatitis E network (HEVnet). The workshop reviewed HEVnet as a tool for molecular surveillance of HEV in Europe.
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.
2014, the topic of the conference was HIV and Viral Hepatitis: Challenges of Timely Testing and Care, and the main objectives were to provide the fields of HIV and viral hepatitis with the opportunity to learn from each other and to reflect on their experiences.
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.