ECDC: On Air

This episode explores the growing threat of avian influenza, which has led to massive outbreaks in bird populations and an increasing number of cases in mammals.With nearly 70 human cases and one death confirmed in the US recently linked to the H5N1 subtype, concerns are rising about its potential to spread among humans in Europe and cause a pandemic.Experts from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) discuss the risks to humans, the impact on animals, and the preventive measures that EU Member States can take.Listen in to Alessandro Broglia (EFSA) and Katriina Willgert (ECDC) and learn more.Read more on the highly pathogenic avian flu on ECDC portal and on EFSA's pages.

In this episode of ECDC on Air, we speak with Leonidas Alexakis, an expert in epidemic intelligence at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Leonidas shares insights from his recent deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the European Health Task Force. He discusses his role in supporting the response to the ongoing mpox outbreak, the challenges of working in a resource-limited setting, and the lessons learned from working alongside WHO and local health authorities. Tune in for a deeper understanding of international public health efforts and the complexities of responding to emerging disease outbreaks. Learn more about mpox here. For more information about ECDC in general visit ⁠⁠https://ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this interview, we sit down with Eeva Broberg, ECDC Principal Expert on respiratory viruses, who tells us why respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an often overlooked disease which represents a considerable risk to certain groups every winter. Eeva also talks about the impact on healthcare, and whether current treatments like monoclonal antibodies and the introduction of vaccines in Europe are a game changer. Read more about RSV on the European Vaccination Information Portal: vaccination-info.europa.eu/en/rsv

In this episode, we sit down with Agnė Bajorinienė - International Relations Officer at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to discuss the agency’s role in preparing Western Balkan, Türkiye and EU candidate countries for full EU membership from public health perspective. Agnė explains the importance of public health cooperation, highlights ongoing projects, and outlines efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacities, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) response in these regions. She also shares insights into how ECDC is helping these countries align with EU health regulations and address specific regional challenges. Learn more about the international cooperation of ECDC here and here. For more information about ECDC in general visit ⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: bit.ly/ECDCSocialMedia

In this episode, we delve into the world of tuberculosis (TB) with ECDC microbiology expert Csaba Kodmon. We explore the importance of molecular surveillance in tracking genetic variations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, identifying emerging strains, and preventing epidemics. Csaba discusses cross-border molecular clusters and how data from EU member states aids in understanding TB transmission dynamics. Read more about TB on our dedicated page here. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we make a final interview with ECDC Director Andrea Ammon, who will soon be retiring after a long career in public health. Andrea Ammon speaks about her 19 years at ECDC, including 9 years as Director, and reflects on how the agency has evolved. She also tells us about the most memorable moments and challenges, including managing the Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

According to the latest ECDC survey, each year, 4.3 million patients in hospitals in the EU/EEA acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection during their stay in the hospital. Diamantis Plachouras - ECDC Principal Expert in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections tells us why this issue needs to be tackled as swift as possible and goes deeper into the data coming from the third point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals, coordinated by ECDC in 2022-2023. Read more about the survey here. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Public health institutes across Europe increasingly recognise the value of examining public health trends and imagining what the future may look like according to different scenarios. In this episode, Gerjon Ikink, ECDC principal expert on public health foresight, explains what foresight is, why it is important in public health, and how it can be translated into concrete action to prepare for future infectious disease threats. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

For today's episode we sit down with Carlos Carvalho - ECDC's Principal Expert in Digital Surveillance to talk about the state of play of making the public health data flow up to speed in the third decade of the XXI-st century and usable for modern surveillance of infectious diseases. How far are we in creating the fully digital health data system in Europe, enabling us to track infectious diseases faster? What are the hurdles we still need to jump over? Listen to our podcast and find out! For more information about ECDC in general please visit ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode we take a closer look at the data collection for respiratory viruses and why we should take this more seriously than just a cough or a sneeze. Nick Bundle, ECDC expert on respiratory viruses, also gives us the lowdown on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), a new surveillance tool which presents weekly data on influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. ERVISS platform is available here. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode we are joined by Otilia Mårdh, Medical Epidemiologist at ECDC, to discuss the latest reports on sexually transmitted infections in Europe. We explore the key findings from the recent reports, discuss the implications for public health, and uncover the strategies being implemented to address the rising rates of STIs. You can find the reports here. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode, we sit down with Ines Steffens, editor-in-chief of Eurosurveillance. Eurosurveillance is an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to the epidemiology, surveillance, prevention and control of communicable diseases. Published weekly, with 50 issues per year, it features short rapid communications, longer in-depth research articles, surveillance and outbreak reports, reviews and perspective papers. We discuss the journal's history, scope, and plans for its future. You can find more information about Eurosurveillance here. For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠.

Today's episode is special one, and is hosted by James Ramsey, Head of the Communication Unit at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). He is joined by experts from ECDC, EFSA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Environment Agency (EEA), and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to discuss the One Health prespective. Our well-being depends on the health of animals, plants and our environment. What affects one affects all the others, and increasingly so. A One Health perspective is about joining forces to find integrated solutions to common challenges such as climate change and antibiotic resistance. Join us to hear from experts at five EU scientific agencies about how we can put One Health into practice. Whether safeguarding access to life-saving medicines or combating the next pandemic, a One Health approach will be essential to how our society navigates the future.   Host: James Ramsay, Head of the Communication Unit at EFSA Guests: Mike Catchpole, Chief Scientist at the ⁠European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)⁠ Carlos das Neves, Chief Scientist at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Dario Piselli, Expert in environment and health at the European Environment Agency (EEA) Wim De Coen, Head of Hazard Assessment at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Steffen Thirstrup, Chief Medical Officer at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) EFSA's Science on the Menu podcast ECHA's Safer Chemicals podcast For more information in general please visit ⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠social media⁠⁠.

For this episode of ECDC on Air, we sit down with ECDC’s expert in genetic epidemiology and bioinformatics – Theresa Enkirch. Theresa gives us an overview of what genetic epidemiologists and bioinformaticians do and how that has changed the current epidemiological world. She also talks about a brand new ECDC course – the GenEpiBioTrain – that can properly boost one’s knowledge about all matters regarding bioinformatics and genetic epidemiology. Want to know more? Check the ECDC’s Virtual Academy for the courses here. You can find more information about ECDC's work on our website and on social media.

Every year ⁠World AIDS Day⁠ is marked on the 1st of December. Beginning in 1988 as the first-ever international day for global health, it is now in its 35th year. We sat down with Anastasia Pharris, Principal expert in Communicable Diseases, to discuss the latest joint ECDC-WHO Europe HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe report to take stock of where Europe stands with the latest developments, challenges, and achievements. As a part of World AIDS Day, ECDC will host a digital event on ⁠HIV: Towards zero stigma⁠ on the 6th of December 2023. The event is open to the public and will focus on the recent insights on HIV stigma in Europe, how it is perceived in different contexts, and examples of good practices to ensure that the goal of zero stigma is achieved. You can find more information on the surveillance report ⁠here⁠.   For more information in general please visit ⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠ or follow us on ⁠social media⁠.

Is the artificial intelligence going to take our jobs? Or will it change the daily work of the ECDC experts looking for epidemic signals? Perhaps it already does? In this episode we sit down for a chat with Gianfranco Spiteri - ECDC's Group Leader in the Epidemic Intelligence team to take a look at the recent AI developments and what the new tools can bring to his daily work. Find more information about ECDC's work on our portal here: ecdc.europa.eu

Joaquin Baruch who was part of the ECDC Fellowship Programme for epidemiologists - EPIET - talks to us about his experiences as a fellow in Malta, as well as doing field work in places such as Western Sahara, Algeria and Mozambique. This episode was recorded during ESCAIDE 2022, and is aired to mark the World Field Epidemiology Day on 7 September. If you are interested in applying for the ECDC fellowship programmes for epidemiologists and microbiologists, please click here. Be sure to check out the Disease Detectives - an ECDC: on Air episode featuring an interview with ECDC’s Head of Fellowship Programme Adam Roth - here - to learn more about the opportunity. You can also see the Postcards from the Field (in a video format) where fellows share their experiences of field work here.

In this episode, we dig a little deeper into the fascinating world of biostatistics. Our guide is Gaetano Marrone - an ECDC expert in the field of statistics and its use in public health. Listen in to learn more! And don't forget to visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for general information about ECDC, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Have you ever wondered how substances of human origin (SoHo) - blood, tissues, cells, organs - can be used in medical therapies? In this episode, ECDCs SoHo Team talks about the lifesaving medical benefits that SoHos can bring and the measures to ensure that they are used safely. The team also gives an overview of the legislation and regulation at EU-level as well as the importance of cross-border co-operation. To learn more about the substances of human origin and the role ECDC plays in keeping them safe click here. For general information about ECDC, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠, or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠.

On this episode we are speaking with Georgios Theocharopoulos, Scientific Officer for Emergency Preparedness and Response, to discuss ECDC4AfricaCDC, a four-year capacity- and partnership-building project between ECDC and Africa CDC. You can find more information on the ECDC4AfricaCDC project here. For general information about ECDC, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠, or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠.