European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training.

European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology

Training

EPIET

Created in 1994 Funded by the European Commission (60%) and EU

Member States until 2007

Project Leader: Annika Linde (Sweden)

Coordinators:

• Arnold Bosman, based at ECDC in Stockholm, Sweden (100%, leading coordinator)

• Marta Valenciano, based at Carlos III in Madrid, Spain (100%)

• Viviane Bremer, based at RKI in Berlin, Germany (40%)

• Richard Pebody, based at HPA-CfI in London, UK (40%)

Administration:

- Carole Desmoulins, Anna Bohlin, Kristina Mittag-Leffler, Therese Leike

EPIET programme objectives

To:

Strengthen CD surveillance & control in EU

Develop a European network of intervention epidemiologists

Develop a response capacity inside & beyond EU:

surveillance

outbreak investigations

applied research

Training objectives

Plan, implement, evaluate a surveillance system

Perform outbreak investigations

Develop a research project on a relevant public health issue

Acquire oral and written scientific communication skills

Acquire teaching skills

Training format

Theoretical training An introductory course (3 weeks), open to

external participants At least 6 one-week training modules rotating in

EU Member States

Learning by doing practical training 23 months At a European public health institute On site supervision by senior epidemiologists and

from EPIET coordinators

Time frame per cohort

Sept-Oct 06 Sept-Oct 08

Cohort 12: 13 fellows

Sept-Oct 06

Cohort 10: 14 fellows

Sept-Oct 04

Sept-Oct 07

Cohort 11: 16 fellows

Sept-Oct 05

Each cohort begins with a 3-weeks introductory course, and ends with a scientific seminar, where each fellow presents his/her work.

Introductory course, content

Lectures from field epidemiologists

Interactive case studies based on real investigations

Development of a study protocol based on real PH issue

Surveillance exercise Communication

exercises

Since 2004 in Menorca, Spain

Training modules in 2000-2006

Biostatistics (Porto, Rome) Communication (London, Berlin) Rapid assessment techniques in emergency

situations (Veyrier, Berlin) Time series analysis and Geographic Information

System (Athens, Madrid, Veyrier, Bilthoven) Vaccinology (Glasgow, Helsinki, Stockholm, London) Data management (Bilthoven) Computer & outbreak investigations

(Heraklion, Athens, Paris, Malta, Budapest) Bioterrorism (Berlin) Time Series Analysis, Logistic Regression (Bordeaux) Scientific Writing (Berlin)

Training sites in Europe “learning by doing”

Oslo

Helsinki

Copenhagen

Madrid Rome

BerlinBilthoven

Paris

Belfast

DublinLondon

Cardiff

Glasgow

LyonGeneva

Stockholm

Prague

Glasgow

Paris

Belfast

Cardiff

RomeMadrid

Helsinki

StockholmOslo

Brussels

Bilthoven Berlin

Copenhagen

LyonGeneva

London

Dublin

PragueSouthWest

Budapest

Warsaw

Vienna

Athens

25 Nations + Norway + Switzerland +WHO

24 Training sites (16 for cohort 12)

Sites in red: open for cohort 12

Supervision of fellows

Supervision on site by at least 1 senior epidemiologist

Draft protocols/reports/manuscripts sent to coordinators

Viadesk as virtual office

Outbreak investigations (examples)

Campylobacter and norovirus linked to communal water in Sweden, 2002

Q-Fever associated with sheep market in Germany, 2002

Avian influenza in poultry cullers in NL, 2003 Legionella associated with cooling towers in France,

2003 Hepatitis A in homosexual men in Denmark, 2004 Tuberculosis in supermarket in NL, 2005 S. Hadar associated with roasted chicken in Spain,

2005 Giardia linked to communal water in Norway, 2005 S. DT 104 associated with pork meat in NL, 2005/6

EU Cross-border Investigations 1999-2006

Salmonella paratyphi B among EU tourists returning from Turkey, 1999

Clostridium infection and deaths among intravenous drug users, England, Scotland, Ireland, 2000

EU-wide outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium 204b, 2000

Meningitis W135 in pilgrims returning from the Haj, 2000, 2001

Hepatitis A in Ibiza and German tourists, 2001 An outbreak of gastroenteritis in holiday-makers

travelling to Andorra, January-February 2002 Hepatitis A among returning travellers from Egypt, 2004

Research Projects (examples)

Risk factors (RF) for Hantavirus in France and Belgium RF for meningococcal meningitis in day care centres,

Ireland RF for Q fever in Germany RF for sporadic cases of Listeriosis in France RF for MRSA in nursing homes, Germany RF for Hep C in hemodialysis Unit, France RF for sporadic campylobacteriosis, Ireland RF for CA-MRSA, Switzerland RF for syphilis, Sweden Influenza vaccine effectiveness, Denmark

Surveillance Projects (Examples)

Establishment of new surveillance Norovirus in Sweden Congenital toxoplasmosis in France CA-MRSA in Switzerland Heat and cold-related mortality in Spain Winter mortality in the UK Sales of flu medicine in Ireland

Evaluation of surveillance system EHEC in France STI in Finland Syphilis in Germany Tuberculosis in Spain

EPIET international missions (1)

Outbreak investigations Infants deaths following immunisation (Egypt) Tularaemia (Kosovo) Suspected anthrax (Ethiopia) Ebola (Uganda, Gabon, Sudan) Hepatitis E (Sudan) Marburg fever (Angola) Measles (Nigeria, Niger, DRC) SARS (Hongkong) Meningitis (Sri Lanka) Avian influenza (Vietnam, Turkey, Azerbaijian)

EPIET international missions (2)

Surveillance projects and surveys Cholera Surveillance (Mozambique) Unsafe Injection Practices survey (Burkina Faso) Assessment of neonatal tetanus status (Zimbabwe) Vaccine coverage (Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of Guinea, East-

Timor, Pakistan) SARS (Hong Kong) Retrospective Mortality Survey (Darfur, Sudan) Nutritional survey (Niger, East-Timor) Early warning system (Pakistan after Earthquake) Avian influenza (Georgia, Azerbaijian)

Number of graduated EPIET Fellows 1995-2006 by Country of Origin and Country of

Training (nr=98) Hosted

Sent

Number of EPIET fellows

Scientific Seminar

Annually in October, following the introductory course

Gathers EPIET fellows EPIET alumni FETPs Europe Supervisors and colleagues from training sites

EPIET Fellows prepared by “project review” module Review of methods and presentations during 1 week

in late August

Additional challenges

Latvia

Slovakia

Estonia

Lithuania

Poland

Cezch Rep.

HungarySlovenia

CyprusMalta

Select the best fellows while maintaining equity of access

Identify new training sites Identify more supervisors Develop training material Increase cross border and

international missions Strengthen links with FETPs Develop additional FETPs Integration in ECDC

Select the best fellows while maintaining equity of access

Identify new training sites Identify more supervisors Develop training material Increase cross border and

international missions Strengthen links with FETPs Develop additional FETPs Integration in ECDC

European added value

Promotion of field epidemiology in EU Contribution to the European Network for

surveillance and control of CD Training of trainers in EPIET host institutes Promotion of national training programmes Increased mobility of epidemiologists Cross border investigations in EU International missions

EPIET and ECDC

Integration in the ECDC from 2006 Cohort 12 financed through ECDC project

grant

EPIET alumni as key role players in ECDC

More information

More information is available on the web at:

http://www.epiet.org

Or writing an e-mail to:

[email protected]

Thank you

EuropeanProgramme for Intervention Epidemiology Training