Presentation given by ECDC Acting Director Andrea Ammon at the TEPHINET conference in Mexico City, Mexico.

1. 20 years of European Field
Training Programme and its
contribution to global health
Andrea Ammon, Acting Director ECDC,
TEPHINET Global Conference, 8 September 2015, Mexico City, Mexico

2. Programme objectives
of EPIET / EUPHEM
Key elements:
• Strengthen surveillance in EU Member States & EU level
• Develop PH response capacity in and beyond the EU
– address disease threats / outbreaks through field investigation
and control
• Develop a European Network of Field Epidemiologists /
Public Health Microbiologists
– using best practise and sharing common objectives;
• Support outbreak detection, investigation and response
nationally and internationally
• Foster future leaders in PH Microbiology

3. Outputs & outcomes 1995-2015
• EPIET & EUPHEM: 462 Fellows
– 70 Cohorts 2014-2015
– 39 Graduating cohort (2013)
– 324 Graduated successfully (diploma)
• International Assignments: 198
– 104 Outbreak
– 45 Surveillance
– 31 Survey
– 12 Teaching
– 6 Others
• EPIET Alumni Association (EAN)

4. EPIET / EUPHEM and EU-capacity
• EPIET in ECDC (2006)
• EUPHEM (2008)
• MS-track (2011)
• EPIET & EUPHEM:
2 complementary curricula
• EAP, EU- & MS-tracks
share same curriculum
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
EPIET & EUPHEM Cohort size 1995-2015
EAP EPIET-EU EPIET-MS EUPHEM-EU EUPHEM-MS

5. Improving surveillance
• National surveillance: fellows
evaluate & operate systems
(reporting to TESSy)
• Setting up molecular typing
platforms for FWD surveillance
(as part of TESSy)
Some examples
• Borrelia (in Norway, Finland)
• Lab based CCHF (in Spain, Hungary,
Romania, Germany)
• STI (in Germany, Hungary, Romania,
Finland)
• Entroviruses (Denmark, Finland,
Norway, UK)
• Tuberculosis (in Finland)
• Molecular typing platforms for FWD
(Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Germany,
Finland)

6. Response capacity in & beyond EU
• Initially via MSF & GOARN
• Ebola: teams coordinated
by ECDC
• Complex Emergency
Situations Course (1 week)
Some examples
• Mortality surveys (e.g. Darfur 2004)
• Tsunami (2004)
• Earthquakes (Pakistan 2005, Haiti
2010)
• Pandemic H1N1 (2009)
• MERS CoV (2013)
• Hurricane Philippines (2013-2014)
• Ebola Response (2014-2015)

7. Supporting International Response
• Fellows & Supervisors
• Not included: alumni
• Missions:
– WHO 97
– ECDC 30
– MSF 26
– Other 27
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
International Assignments Fellowship
Outbreak Surveillance Survey Teaching Others

8. H1N1 pandemic response fellows 2009
Viviane Bremer et al, poster ESCAIDE 2009

9. Ebola response 2014-2015
• Ebola Control Teams:
Guinea, Sierra Leone,
Liberia
• Ebola Preparedness:
Mauretania & Burkina
Faso
• Total missions: 40
– 4 Coordinator/Director
– 12 EPIET Associated FETP
– 20 EU-track (4 EUPHEM)
– 4 MS-track (1 EUPHEM)
Main tasks performed
• Field coordinator
• Field epidemiology
• Public Health Microbiology
• Mortality survey
• Preparedness / training

10. Future elements
ECDC Public Health Training
• Complement fellowships with Continuing
Professional Development Programme
• Roll out E-learning and develop blended learning
approaches
• Continue & strengthen collaboration with
network partners:
TEPHINET is one of the key partners

12. Co-organisers
http://www.escaide.eu
Late breakers call for abstracts: 1 - 30 September