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EPISDr Mollet Thomas MD MSc, PRUEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and ControlIstanbul, 25 September, 2009

Information system of European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

What is EPIS ?

A communication tool: Application for risk assessment entities to exchange non-

structured and semi-structured information regarding current or emerging public health threats with a potential impact in the EU.

A real-time international platform through which a network of experts can rapidly share information and data in a way which is fully transparent.

EPIS is a risk assessment tool, not a risk management tool.

Why using EPIS?

Added values: No more emails Secure website

Discussing risk assessment, response and preparedness Posting & reply to Urgent Inquiries Uploading/downloading documents Linking with other application , e.g. TTT or EWRS Creating questionnaires, summary tables, epi curves, etc Producing monthly report

How is organised EPIS?

The overall design consists of four levels of forums to which the users of EPIS would have restricted or full reading and writing access. Each level of forum is associated with a specific function.

Level 3 Health threat at European level

General discussion forum

Urgent inquiry

Epidemic intelligence forum

Ad hoc/threat assessment forum

Level 4 Health threat at European level

Level 1 No potential health threat at

European level

Level 2 Potential health threat at

European level

Generic DSP Denominatio

n

FWDDenominatio

n

FWD network

FWD network

FWD network and Epidemic Intelligence network

ECDC and European response team

Users

What is the escalation process?

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

EPISLevels

Escalation

Process

Launching an UIDSP network

Escalation to level 3ECDC DSP staff

Escalation to level 4ECDC DSP or ECDC EI

FWDDenominatio

n

General discussio

n

Urgent Inquiry

Epidemic intelligence

Ad-Hoc/response

FWD

EWGLI

STIAMR/HCAI

VPD

…

EPIS

Who are the users?

Who are the users?

The members of the DSP

Experts Non experts EU Non-EU

The EI network EI ECDC EI MS

Guest

What does EPIS look like?MOSS 2007®

How EPIS interact with the other tools?

EPIS

TESSy Other sourcesDSP/EI networks

TTT + Ad-Hoc (EPIS) EWRS

Create a threat

CMT

Threat assessment

Crisis

EWRS: Early Warning Response SystemTTT: Threat Tracking ToolEPIS: Epidemic Intelligence SystemCMT: Crisis Management ToolTESSy: The European Surveillance System

EWRS

Communication platform for risk management Legal basis: Decision 2000/57/EC. Designed and managed by the EC, ECDC hosts the EWRS since Nov 2007 MS health authorities report control measures taken for public health events with EU relevance

What is different from EWRS?

ECDC

MS risk manageme

nt bodies/MO

H

MS risk assessment

bodies

SANCO-C3

DSP forum

EI forum Ad-Hoc/response forum

Risk assessment, detection and

verification

Investigation, contact tracing, outbreak assistance team

Risk management,control measures

EWRS

EPIS forums

EWRS EPISObjective of the application

Risk management Risk assessment

Nature of the information

Structured Semi/non structured

Participation of the users

Mandatory Voluntary basis

Functionality General application Customisation per DSP

What is different from EWRS?

Conclusion

EPIS is an advanced platform that allows real time discussion among risk assessment bodies. This application is one more instrument in our toolbox available to face public health threats at the European level.

Thanks You