WP7 D7.1 Baseline report on the national sustainability plans | UNITED4Surveillance

This report presents results from Work Package (WP) 7 Sustainability in implementing the EU4Health UNITED4Surveillance Joint Action (Grant Agreement Number 101102070) sustainability plan. The goal of this WP is to ensure that project outcomes, activities, and benefits extend not only during the project duration but also contribute to the long-term aim: strengthening integrated European health surveillance systems. The project was prompted by the global crisis sparked by the COVID-19 outbreak, revealing an urgent need to enhance public health preparedness and pandemic response at the European level. UNITED4Surveillance contributes to the implementation of a new Health Security framework under the EU regulation on serious cross-border threats to health (2022/2371). This Joint Action also supports the implementation of the long-term strategic plan for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for 2022–2025. The focus is on integrating existing and new data sources for more comprehensive EU/EEA infectious disease surveillance, prevention, and control, thus improving global health security. The overarching objective is to strengthen infectious disease surveillance systems at the national level, with a focus on improving the integration, interoperability, and digitalization of data sources. We concentrate on outbreak detection/laboratory-based reporting, hospital surveillance, and One Health surveillance. The report is the initial look at the planned national sustainability activities from 17 countries within the UNITED4Surveillance consortium. All sustainability actions proposed in the sustainability plans were described based on core work package activities. Most countries that submitted their national sustainability plans declared their intention to strengthen outbreak detection by utilizing tools developed during UNITED4Surveillance. Furthermore, activities related to foodborne diseases, zoonotic influenza, and vector-borne diseases surveillance are planned. Most sustainability activities are at the national level, with knowledge sharing through guidelines and training materials identified as a key strategy for success.