Preparedness and Response Unit
ecdpc.europa.eu/About_us/Preparedness&Response.html

Purpose
The Preparedness and Response Unit is a multilateral surveillance and response program of the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) that supports European Union (EU) Member States in assessing, investigating, and responding to emerging threats in Europe; the Unit is also a GOARN partner.

History and operational characteristics
Established in 2005, the Preparedness and Response Unit is in charge of outbreak assessment and response. It has three critical capabilities: epidemic intelligence analysis, outbreak response and preparedness, and capacity strengthening. The unit gathers disease outbreak information from official (e.g., national health officials) and unofficial sources (e.g., media reports) and verifies disease outbreak reports through independent sources before entering information into a computerized threat-monitoring database, the Early Warning and Response System. The European Centre for Disease Control uses the Early Warning and Response System to notify EU Member States of regional public health threats and to coordinate appropriate response measures. If there is a need for European coordination or international assistance, or if there is a risk of an outbreak spreading throughout Europe, the unit will issue an alert to EU Member States.

The unit works in concert with the European Commission Health Threat Unit to ensure that outbreak response is handled at the European Union level; it can dispatch teams within Member States to support national health authorities. For outbreaks outside the EU, the unit is a WHO GOARN partner and may function in that capacity in response to a request from WHO.

Region/countries served
European Union; global, as a GOARN partner.

Funding/budget/staff
Not available