2007 discharge: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC

PURPOSE: to present the final accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for the financial year 2007.

CONTENT: this document sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s budget for the financial year 2007. It notes that the final budget amounted to EUR 28.9 million (compared tot EUR 17.1 million in 2006) including a Community subsidy of 98% and 2% of EFTA (European Free Trade Association) funds.

As regards the staffing policy, the Centre, which is based in Stockholm (Sweden), officially set out 90 posts in its establishment plan. 80 posts are currently occupied + 42 other posts, totalling 122 posts assigned to operational and administrative duties.

In 2007, the Centre concentrated on the development of its activities in terms of monitoring diseases, namely:

·         a communicable disease threat database (Threat Tracking Tool, TTT) was developed and implemented;

·         ECDC completed the transfer of the EWRS operations and initiated the development of standard operating procedures for outbreak investigation and response;

·         two simulation exercises were conducted: (i) test of internal procedures and equipment and (ii) test of procedures regarding risk assessment and Member States support for contact tracing activities;

·         launch of the European Surveillance System, collecting data for the dedicated surveillance networks migrating to ECDC;

·         publication of the First European Epidemiological Report and of the EU Zoonoses Report in close collaboration with Members States and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority);

·         integration of the scientific journal Eurosurveillance into ECDC;

·         organisation of five training sessions on outbreak investigation in partnership with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). Additionally, a module on management of public health crises was organised, gathering senior epidemiologists from all Member States. A training manual on applied epidemiology was further developed;

·         influenza Pandemic Preparedness Self-Assessment visits to all thirty EU/EEA Member States were completed. In the area of HIV and STI surveillance and prevention, the Centre prepared the ground for taking responsibility for the surveillance of HIV/AIDS in Europe, performed two country visits to review programmes for prevention, control and surveillance, and carried out EU-wide studies to evaluate prevention interventions. In the context of the TB disease specific activities, an Action Plan to fight TB in the EU was developed;

·         a Scientific Consultation Group of EU-wide Learned Societies was created;

·         the first European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) was organised and hosted by the Centre.

The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/About_us/Key_documents/