The European Commission has actually opened a remark duration as part of strategies to alter the present set-up and develop EU recommendation labs (EURLs) in public health.
The call for applications covers 3 EURLs. The very first is an EURL for food and waterborne germs; the 2nd is for food, water, and vector-borne helminths and protozoa; and the 3rd is for food and waterborne infections.
EURLs will support nationwide referral labs and promote great practice and positioning by member states on diagnostics, screening techniques, and using particular tests for the monitoring, alert, and reporting illness. Other responsibilities consist of external quality evaluations, clinical recommendations, technical support, and training.
3 laboratories in modified set-up
The network of EURLs for public health will be collaborated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The foodborne and waterborne germs EURL will support members of the lab sub-network of ECDC’s European Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses Network (FWD-Net). Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia are pathogens covered.
The food, water, vector-borne helminths, and protozoa EURL consist of Echinococcus, Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella, and Plasmodium. Input on other parasites, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, and Taenia solium, might likewise be asked for. When it comes to a multi-country break out, the EURL will be asked to offer details, assistance, and assistance to ECDC on microbiology-related matters.
For the food and waterborne infections, EURL, liver disease A, and liver disease E are the 2 primary representatives. If there is an EU-level requirement with public health significance, this EURL might be requested for suggestions.
Labs in EU member states and European Economic Area (EEA) nations have up until Aug. 14 to use. Outcomes will be revealed in September. A webinar for interested laboratories will be kept in mid-May.
Present circumstance
The present EURL for Salmonella is the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM); for Campylobacter, it is the Swedish Veterinary Agency, and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) holds the function for Listeria.
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) in Italy is the EURL for parasites and E. coli. Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency) is EURL for foodborne infections.
EURLs in 6 locations of public health, consisting of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in germs and high-risk, emerging, and zoonotic bacterial pathogens, have actually currently been picked after an employ 2023.
Statens Serum Institut (SSI) in Denmark will lead the EURL for public health on AMR in germs, nevertheless work will not consist of Salmonella and Campylobacter, and Germany’s Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) heads-up the consortium on bacterial pathogens, such as anthrax, brucellosis, leptospirosis, Q fever, rickettsiosis, and tularaemia. The EURLs use till March 26, 2031.
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