International relations
Programmes coordinated by the ECDC and WHO or by other international organizations
(1) TESSy - The European Surveillance System (legal successor of Basic Surveillance Network - BSN 28)
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: 2007 - continuous Coordinators of NCE: Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Andrásné Szilágyi, Public Health Controller Topic: Hungarian monitoring of cases of communicable diseases reported to ECDC. Tasks: monthly reporting of data on certain diseases. In 2009, the ECDC organized two trainings (STI and influenza) on new disease/disease groups reported for TESSy. In 2009, the quarterly and annual (2008) zoonoses data, annual (2007) data on infectious patients, and STI data between 1990 and 2008 were reported.
(2) ECDC annual report
Hungarian data on mandatory notifiable communicable diseases were uploaded in the TESSy system and controlled prior publication. The ECDC Annual Report for 2007 was published on the ECDC web-site in October 2009.
Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Collaborators: Dr. Mária Dudás, Specialist Dr. Judit Krisztina Horváth, Specialist Dr. Katalin Krisztalovics, Specialist, Counsellor Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Andrásné Szilágyi, Public Health Controller
(3) IBI - Invasive Bacterial Infections
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: 2008 - continuos Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Judit Krisztina Horváth, Specialist Ákos Tóth, Microbiologist, Counsellor Tasks: Collection of unified microbiological (typing, antibiotic-sensitivity) and epidemiological data on Meningococcus and Haemophylus influenzae b, Pneumococcus serotypes causing invasive diseases; harmonization of applied methods in reference laboratories for quality assurance of these activities. The network requests data about the registered meningococcus and H. influenzae b invasive cases from Hungary, annually. Data on registered cases in 2008 were forwarded to TESSy data base.
(4) EISS - European Influenza Surveillance Scheme
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: 2008 - continuous Coordinators of NCE: Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Mónika Rózsa, Microbiologist specialist Katalin Kaszás, Public Health Controller Topic: operation of seasonal influenza surveillance. Tasks: weekly reporting of clinical and virological data on Hungarian influenza-like cases. In the influenza season of 2009/2010, clinical and virological data on Hungarian influenza-like cases were submitted during 32 weeks. The Hungarian professionals received continuous information about the European situation. For the influenza pandemic, inter-seasonal surveillance data (weeks 21-39 in 2009) were recorded in the TESSy data basis developed by ECDC. In the season of 2009/2010, the sphere of recorded data increased with the data on pandemic influenza (confirmed cases and death cases by age groups). The method and dead line for reporting were the same as in the previous seasons, namely, web-based reports were sent both on clinical and virological data.
(5) FWD Network - Food and Waterborne Disease network
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: continuous Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Katalin Krisztalovics, Head Physician, Counsellor Dr. Noémi Nógrády, Ph.D. Biologist Dr. Mária Herpay, Head of Department Dr. Horváth Judit Krisztina, Specialist Topic: Surveillance coordination of enteral infectious diseases, development of unified data base, and professional support for professionals in field. Tasks: the goal of the organisation to fill up the data base built on unified aspects with selected data, provision of professional support for a laboratory network in EU level with the help of regular comparative tests between laboratories coordinated by ECDC. The organisation has one epidemiologist and one microbiologist member from every country.
(6) ENIVD - European Network of Imported Viral Diseases
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: From 2003 - continuos Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Ildikó Visontai, Deputy Director-General Topic: Within the frame of the project, the goal is to provide the diagnostic background for imported diseases, together with the participating Institutes winning the tender invited by ECDC with the application of "European network of laboratories for outbreak assistance and support". Within the frame of collaboration, the partners have continuously provided information about the occurrence of imported viral diseases, the possibility of their detection by available diagnostic methods; they provide a diagnostic background if needed. The further collaboration will cover the following areas: the training for good laboratory practice and the planning and implementation of testing under BSL conditions, and participation in virus diagnostic collaborative studies ensuring the quality control of testing organised within the project. Tasks: The current cases, tests, diagnostic opportunities and results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Network for Diagnostics of "Imported" Viral Diseases (ENIVD), Prague. NCE continues to take part in the collaborative studies organised by ENIVD and in the ENIVD-CLRN activity supported by ECDC in which the NCE denotes if a case of imported viral disease was diagnosed by the reference laboratory.
(7) NMFP - National Microbiological Focal Point
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: From 2007 - continuos Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Ildikó Visontai, Deputy Director-General Topic: Upon the appointment of the Ministry of Health and together with the national authorities, support has been provided for the ECDC in the field of definition and implementation of microbiological activities. Within the frame of collaboration, the questionnaire on the activity of reference laboratories was prepared, and the filled out form was forwarded to ECDC. Tasks: The working groups including the representatives of Member States worked on the definition of public health, epidemiological microbiological activities and the basic tasks and evaluation criteria of reference laboratories. Further task was to elaborate the proposals for microbiological laboratories of the Annual Work Plan of ECDC in 2010 with a focus on the microbiological activity of disease-specific networks. Materials related to this work were published on the home-page of NCE.
(8) VENICE II - Vaccine European New Integrated Collaborative Effort II
International coordinating institutes: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden), Instituto Superiore di Sanit, (Rome, Italy) Planned duration: 2009 - 2010 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: vaccines - European collaboration Tasks: Development of European vaccine surveillance. The work started in 2006 has been continued under the title of "Venice II" since December 23, 2008 with the development of WP 5. In 2009, four web-based questionnaires on vaccines/vaccination programmes against HPV, hepatitis B, seasonal influenza and tick-borne encephalitis were filled out. The summary of questionnaires is presented in scientific publications and conferences.
(9) ECDC - Influenza Monitoring Vaccine Effectiveness Project (I-MOVE)
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: 2009 - 2010 Coordinators of NCE: Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Dr. Beatrix Oroszi, Specialist Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist Dr. Judit Krisztina Horváth, Specialist Mónika Rózsa, Head of Laboratory Katalin Kaszás, Public Health Controller Topic: Determination of efficiency of influenza vaccinations at the age group < 18 years in Hungary, 2009/2010 influenza season. 87 family doctors participated in the national study with the supervision of 19 regional coordinators. In the analysis, the chances for developing influenza in vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons against influenza are compared, and from this, the efficiency of vaccination is defined for the given season. Tasks: Data on new cases of influenza infection are recorded and forwarded to the European influenza data basis. The coordinator participated at the ECDC-TESSy annual meeting, Stockholm, June 2-5, 2009.
(10) ECDC - Country inventory and activities support
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: 2008 - 2009 Leader of Project: Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Coordinator: Dr. Judit Krisztina Horváth, Specialist Topic: Regular updating of the public health and epidemiological data basis of ECDC. Monthly provision of accurate, up-to-date information for ECDC about the NPHMOS' activity on communicable diseases; assistance for the translation and distribution of ECDC publications.
(11) EUCAST - The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
International coordinating institute: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Stockholm, Sweden) Planned duration: 2010 - 2012 Coordinator of NCE: Ákos Tóth, Head of Laboratory Tasks: Introduction of the European recommendation for antimicrobial resistance tests in Hungary.
(12) WHO - Global eradication of poliomyelitis
International coordinating institute: WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark) Planned duration: 1998 - 2010 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Collaborator: Katalin Kaszás, Public Health Controller: Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: Acute flaccid paralysis surveillance. Tasks: Weekly, case-based online reporting.
(13) Global elimination of measles Eliminating measles and rubella, and preventing congenital rubella infection
International coordinating institute: WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark) Planned duration: 2005 - 2010 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: Follow-up of measles and rubella cases in Hungary Tasks: Monthly reporting of single measles cases and aggregated rubella data, monitoring of epidemiological situation for both diseases.
(14) EIW - European Immunization Week
International coordinating institute: WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark) Planned duration: 20-26 April 2009 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: vaccines Tasks: communication of importance and need of vaccines. Regarding the favourable national epidemiological situation and the high coverage rate of vaccination related to age, the main national goal was to preserve these achievements.
(15) IHR - International Health Regulations
International coordinating institute: WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark) Planned duration: Continuous since the effectiveness of revised International Health Regulations (IHR), 15 June 2007. Coordinator of NCE (IHR focal point): Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Topic: epidemiological threats with international aspects Tasks: response to threats, proposal for measures, reporting. In accordance with the new regulation the duty of reporting covers the event of bioterrorism, chemical, nuclear and laboratory catastrophes in addition to infectious diseases. According to the internal regulations of NCE, the designated graduates of the Department of Epidemiology control, evaluate and qualify the received information daily.
(16) UNAIDS - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
International coordinating institute: WHO (Geneva, Switzerland) Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Mária Dudás, Specialist Tasks: Annual data service about the situation of HIV/AIDS surveillance. Estimations, models made in the field of HIV/AIDS are forwarded to the UNAIDS Office with EPP and Spectrum soft wares in every year.
(17) European Zoonoses Report
International coordinating institute: European Food Safety Authority (Parma, Italy) Planned duration: 2005 - continuous Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Katalin Krisztalovics, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: Data collection about zoonoses and their pathogens Tasks: The Directive EU 2003/99/EK (about monitoring of zoonoses and their pathogens) requires it from the MSs. Human data of year 2008 were forwarded to European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) through ECDC. The European Summary Report was published on the EFSA homepage in December 2009. (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1496.htm)
(18) EWRS - Early Warning and Response System
International coordinating institute: European Committee (Brussels, Belgium) Planned duration: 2004 - continuous Coordinator of NCE (EWRS focal point): Dr. Ágnes Csohán, Head of Department Deputies: Dr. Katalin Krisztalovics, Counsellor Dr. Judit Krisztina Horváth, Specialist Topic: Epidemiological risk of international aspects Tasks: Response to threat, proposal to measures, reporting. According to the internal regulation of Department of Epidemiology, the appointed graduates of the Department control, evaluate and classify the received messages daily. In 2010, 88 messages were recorded in the open area of the web-site, and they received 146 comments. The 88 messages covered 31 topics, including 16 messages (8.2%) on influenza, 9 messages (10%) on measles and 7 messages (8%) on anthrax. Hungary individually initiated three public messages. One of the messages included the analysis of the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in County Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén that received wide media coverage; the other one dealt with the current epidemiological situation of West-Nile Fever and the related measures taken in Hungary; and the third message covered the ornithosis outbreak among guest-workers of Hungarian origin in Germany. In the restricted area of EWRS web-site, Hungary sent 13 messages - within selective exchange - to the Commission or other countries (dog's bite; ornithosis amid employees, outbreak among tourists, etc.) and received messages from the Commission and other States (e.g. a campylobacteriosis case of a Hungarian citizen in Austria; influenza vaccinated children fallen ill with the disease). If necessary, the information received through EWRS was transmitted by the Department of Epidemiology for further acting to the Management and senior experts in NCE and the stakeholders of the Office of Chief Medical Officer.
(19) REACT - Response to Emerging Infectious Disease: Assessment and Development of Core Capacities and Tools
International coordinating institute: Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany Planned duration: From 2008 - continuous Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Andrea Kurcz, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: Prevention of healthcare workers' infections. Tasks: Making a survey among healthcare workers (interviews with physicians and professional workers) and furnishing of data. Within the frame EU project of "Response to Infectious Disease: Assessment of Capacity Development" with 7 Working Groups on 7 seven topics, the important fields for the prevention and spread of infectious diseases were covered. Within the Working Group WP5 "Surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks among Health Care Workers (HPA)", Hungary dealt with the elaboration of the surveillance system for the health care workers' infections. For the development of surveillance system for the health care workers infections, the following topics were discussed:
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the expected obstacles related to the drafted new surveillance system;
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review and analysis of literature concerning the topic, and application of potential methods;
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advantages and disadvantages of the syndrome-based surveillance system;
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issue of control of information flow;
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possibility for the development of an unified, report and rapid response system in EU level.
As closing the project, based on the reviewed literature, questionnaires and the health professionals' opinions the draft algorithm was introduced for the development of a reporting system providing the registration of the health professionals' daily absence by the health professionals' infection.
(20) EWGLINET - European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaries Disease EWGLI - European Working Group for Legionella Infections
International coordinating institute: Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections (London, United Kingdom) Planned duration: 2004 - 2010 Coordinators of NCE: Dr. Judit Krisztina Horváth, Specialist Csaba Bognár, Bacteriologist, Head of Laboratory Katalin Kaszás, Public Health Inspector Topic: Data collection on legionnaries disease related to travels. Tasks: Case reported data about this disease.
(21) EUROCJD - European and Associated Countries Collaborative CJD Network
International coordinating institute: National CJD Surveillance Unit (Edinburgh, Scotland) Planned duration: May 2008 - May 2011 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: Data collection on cases of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. Tasks: In 2009, the possibilities of identification of secondary transmission by transfusion and plasma derivates and of prevention of spread were stressed. For this reason, the review of regulators (guides, methodological letters, etc.) in the Member States has started.
(22) EUVAC.NET - Surveillance Community Network for Vaccine-preventable Infectious Diseases Working Group Centre
International coordinating institute: Statens Serum Institut, (Copenhagen, Denmark) Planned duration: 2009 - 2011 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Márta Melles, Director-General Dr. Zsuzsanna Molnár, Specialist, Counsellor Topic: surveillance community network for vaccine preventable infectious diseases. Tasks: Data collection on measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, pertussis, mumps and varicella from vaccine preventable diseases, and sending of monthly case- based report of measles. In 2009, three summary reports were published on the web-site: data of measles and rubella surveillance in 2008 and of pertussis surveillance in years 2003-2007.
(23) European Point Prevalence Survey of Healthcare Associated Infections and Antibiotic Use in Long-Term Care Facilities
International coordinating institute: Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France Planned duration: 2009 - 2010 Coordinator of NCE: Rita Szabó Topic: Hungarian research coordination and data service. Tasks: Between May and September 2010, a survey including several institutes was performed in which 42 institutes voluntarily participated from Hungary.
(24) EARSS - European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System
International coordinating institute: National Institute for Public Health and he Environment (Bilthoven, Netherlands) Planned duration: continuous Coordinator of NCE: Ákos Tóth, Microbiologist Tasks: Test of antimicrobial sensitivity. Sensitivity data for testing of resistance of pathogens originated from invasive infections have been submitted to the European Surveillance since 2001.
(25) Special survey for Neisseria meningitidis identification and typing
International coordinating institute: United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (London, United Kingdom) and the Meningococcal Reference Unit (Manchester, United Kingdom) Planned duration: continuous Coordinator of NCE: Ákos Tóth, Microbiologist Tasks: identification and sero-typing of Neisseria meningitidis with pheno- and genotyping methods.
(26) European Commission Directorate-General Environment Directorate B
International coordinating institute: European Commission Directorate-General Environment Directorate B - Protecting the Natural Environment ENV.B.3. - Biotechnology, Pesticides & Health (Brussels, Belgium) Planned duration: 2003 - continuous Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Márta Milassin, Head of Department Collaborators: Réka Kovács, Biocid Coordinator Dr. Krisztina Soproni, Biocid Coordinator Anikó Rácz, Biologist Tasks: EU revision, coordination of biocid agents belonging to product types 1.2. and 3 of main group I nominated in Annex 5 of Biocid Decree. Regular participation at national and international scientific meetings, workshops.
(27) FASTVAC - A generic framework for FAST production and evaluation of emergency VACcines
International coordinating institute: Nederlands Vaccin Instituut (Bilthoven, Netherlands) Planned duration: April 2010 - April 2013 Coordinator of NCE: Dr. Ildikó Visontai, Deputy Director-General Topic: The FASTVAC project is a consortium established within the frame of EU Health Programme for the unification of scientific and practical knowledge in vaccinology (vaccine development, production and release), in the most efficient level. The goal of the three-year project is to speed up the quality control process of human vaccines within the frame of regulation developed by the collaboration of 6 public health institutes and 2 universities from 8 EU Member States. The project ensures a scientifically solid basis that in case of an outbreak threat caused by new or re-emerging pathogens in the EU, the development, production and release of human vaccines in accordance and complying with the current national and international requirements - fulfilling the safety and efficiency criteria - should provide rapid and efficient protection against epidemics threatening the great masses, with the achievement of goals set in the project. Tasks: In the project, the National Center for Epidemiology (OEK) representing Hungary is the leader for WP9 ("Liasion for vaccine deployment") and partner for WP7 ("Preclinical testing & formulation").
Summary of the activities of the National Center for Epidemiology in 2010
Collaboration with international institutes
National Centres established in NCE and participating in international programmes
Participation in international working committees
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