The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is hosting a five-day international outbreak-response training course in Stockholm from 24 to 29 May, bringing together public health specialists from Europe and elsewhere.
The programme is run through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) — a World Health Organization-coordinated network of more than 360 institutions that supports international action during disease outbreaks and other health emergencies, the ECDC said on Monday.
Participants are taking part in a realistic simulation of an evolving outbreak of unknown origin, working in multidisciplinary teams under rapidly changing conditions.
The course is designed for experts across areas including epidemiology, laboratory science, clinical management, infection prevention and control, animal health and risk communication, the ECDC said.
It added that recent cross-border incidents have required close coordination between countries, including the management and follow-up of cases linked to a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hoondis.
Ebola outbreak cited as current example
The ECDC also pointed to the current Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as another situation where a trained and rapidly deployable outbreak response workforce is needed.
The programme will include experts from the European Union, Ecuador and Australia.
Experts from Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine will also attend as part of ECDC support linked to Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership, a three-year initiative running from 2025 to 2027.
