The annual meeting of VectorNet, the European Network for collecting data on vectors, gathered 70 experts in medical and veterinarian entomology and public and animal health from Europe and countries around the Mediterranean Basin.
This was the first regional meeting on West Nile fever real time surveillance and good practices on vector-borne diseases. The overall objective was to support the exchange of experience between EU and non-EU neighbouring countries on the surveillance of West Nile fever and the lessons learnt since 2011.
Emerging diseases and outbreak investigations, whole genome sequencing-based surveillance and public health risks related to animal and food imports to the EU/EEA were some of the topics under discussion during the Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses Network meeting.
On the third meeting of the Hepatitis B and C Network national focal points and experts discussed the enhanced surveillance programme for hepatitis B and C across Europe and explored ways of improving it.
The First Annual meeting of the new joint ECDC-EFSA project ‘VectorNet’, the European network for sharing data on the geographic distribution of arthropod vectors, transmitting human and animal disease agents, was held on 27-29 January 2015 in Parma.
Joint Meeting of the EFSA Animal Health and Welfare Network and the ECDC Emerging and Vector-borne Disease Network on West Nile fever virus surveillance in the European Union