ECDC: On Air

Marking World TB Day 2025, this episode explores the data on tuberculosis in Europe based on the latest surveillance report, published recently by ECDC and WHO.

Veronica Cristea, Scientific Officer at ECDC, discusses the overall TB situation in the EU/EEA, the impact of COVID-19, challenges in treatment success, and the concerning rise in TB cases among children.

Veronica also highlights the steps needed to accelerate progress towards ending TB.Find out more about World TB Day here.

For more information about ECDC in general, visit ⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This episode explores the growing threat of avian influenza, which has led to massive outbreaks in bird populations and an increasing number of cases in mammals.

With nearly 70 human cases and one death confirmed in the US recently linked to the H5N1 subtype, concerns are rising about its potential to spread among humans in Europe and cause a pandemic.

Experts from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) discuss the risks to humans, the impact on animals, and the preventive measures that EU Member States can take.

Listen in to Alessandro Broglia (EFSA) and Katriina Willgert (ECDC) and learn more.

Read more on the highly pathogenic avian flu on ECDC portal and on EFSA's pages.

In this episode of ECDC on Air, we speak with Leonidas Alexakis, an expert in epidemic intelligence at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).Leonidas shares insights from his recent deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the European Health Task Force. He discusses his role in supporting the response to the ongoing mpox outbreak, the challenges of working in a resource-limited setting, and the lessons learned from working alongside WHO and local health authorities. Tune in for a deeper understanding of international public health efforts and the complexities of responding to emerging disease outbreaks.Learn more about mpox here.For more information about ECDC in general visit ⁠⁠https://ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this interview, we sit down with Eeva Broberg, ECDC Principal Expert on respiratory viruses, who tells us why respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an often overlooked disease which represents a considerable risk to certain groups every winter.

Eeva also talks about the impact on healthcare, and whether current treatments like monoclonal antibodies and the introduction of vaccines in Europe are a game changer.

Read more about RSV on the European Vaccination Information Portal: vaccination-info.europa.eu/en/rsv

In this episode, we sit down with Agnė Bajorinienė - International Relations Officer at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to discuss the agency’s role in preparing Western Balkan, Türkiye and EU candidate countries for full EU membership from public health perspective.

Agnė explains the importance of public health cooperation, highlights ongoing projects, and outlines efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacities, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) response in these regions.

She also shares insights into how ECDC is helping these countries align with EU health regulations and address specific regional challenges.

Learn more about the international cooperation of ECDC here and here.

For more information about ECDC in general visit ⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: bit.ly/ECDCSocialMedia

In this episode, we delve into the world of tuberculosis (TB) with ECDC microbiology expert Csaba Kodmon.

We explore the importance of molecular surveillance in tracking genetic variations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, identifying emerging strains, and preventing epidemics. Csaba discusses cross-border molecular clusters and how data from EU member states aids in understanding TB transmission dynamics.

Read more about TB on our dedicated page here.

For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we make a final interview with ECDC Director Andrea Ammon, who will soon be retiring after a long career in public health.

Andrea Ammon speaks about her 19 years at ECDC, including 9 years as Director, and reflects on how the agency has evolved.

She also tells us about the most memorable moments and challenges, including managing the Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about ECDC in general please visit ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

According to the latest ECDC survey, each year, 4.3 million patients in hospitals in the EU/EEA acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection during their stay in the hospital.

Diamantis Plachouras - ECDC Principal Expert in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections tells us why this issue needs to be tackled as swift as possible and goes deeper into the data coming from the third point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals, coordinated by ECDC in 2022-2023.

Read more about the survey here.

For more information about ECDC in general please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Public health institutes across Europe increasingly recognise the value of examining public health trends and imagining what the future may look like according to different scenarios.

In this episode, Gerjon Ikink, ECDC principal expert on public health foresight, explains what foresight is, why it is important in public health, and how it can be translated into concrete action to prepare for future infectious disease threats.

For more information about ECDC in general please visit ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

For today's episode we sit down with Carlos Carvalho - ECDC's Principal Expert in Digital Surveillance to talk about the state of play of making the public health data flow up to speed in the third decade of the XXI-st century and usable for modern surveillance of infectious diseases.

How far are we in creating the fully digital health data system in Europe, enabling us to track infectious diseases faster? What are the hurdles we still need to jump over? Listen to our podcast and find out!

For more information about ECDC in general please visit ecdc.europa.eu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.