Issue No. 1 – October 2013

Issue No. 1 – October 2013 In this issue Editorial Editorial Tim Eckmanns, Robert Koch Institute, Germany News from the AIRSAN Coordination The AIRSAN Project In the last years, more and more projects in Europe dealt with travel and infectious disease transmission. It started with the RAGIDA Project General project information 2008. In RAGIDA 1, a systematic review of infectious disease Background transmission in aircraft was conducted, and in RAGIDA 2, algorithms for Objective pathogen specific management of infectious disease in airlines were Target groups developed (e.g. Leitmeyer, Eurosurveillance, 2011). From 2010 to 2012, Expected benefits the REACT Project followed. In this project, one part was infectious Core work packages disease transmission in ground transport (Mohr et al., BMJ, in press). AIRSAN Partners Since 2007, SHIPSAN works in the field of infectious disease on ships. AIRSAN Associated Partners AIRSAN should not be another player in this field, but we want to AIRSAN Collaborating Partners coordinate the involved players and to prevent overreaction in public AIRSAN Scientific Advisory Board health events in air transport. The number of events increases as traffic AIRSAN Executive Agency increases. Reaction is dependent on political interest, public fear and Coordinating institute infectious disease responsibility. Responses are very different in Recent meetings different regions; even in one country like the Federal Republic of Recent developments Germany the reactions in an event like a pandemic are different in Next steps different Federal States. We try to develop a platform for the exchange People from the AIRSAN Project of information and material, a network of players, good teaching material and comprehensive access to newly developed and already AIRSAN Team at RKI, Germany existing materials. Anthony Evans, ICAO Airports at a glance Frankfurt Airport, Germany News from the AIRSAN Coordination Editorial Board Astrid Milde‐Busch, RKI, Germany Andreas Gilsdorf, Robert Koch Institute, Germany Andreas Gilsdorf, RKI, Germany Tim Eckmanns, RKI, Germany “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we Maria an der Heiden, RKI, Germany must do.” (Citation Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) Benedikt Greutélaers, RKI, Germany Christos Hadjichristodoulou, UTH‐EL, Greece Dissemination of the objectives, progress and results of a project is André Jacobi, RIVM, Netherlands essential for take‐up, and take‐up is crucial for the success of the Dominique Wagner, FPS‐PHFCSE, Belgium Janusz Janiec, NIPH‐NIH, Poland project and for the sustainability of its outputs in the long term. Laurence Perroud, BAG, Switzerland This AIRSAN Newsletter shall present the progress of the AIRSAN Matthias Jeglitza, BMVBS, Germany Cinthia Menel Lemos, EAHC, Luxembourg Project and support the process of making the results of the AIRSAN Katrin Leitmeyer, ECDC, Sweden Project available to stakeholders and the wider audience. We know that it is a challenge to report regularly in such a format. We aim to distribute an AIRSAN Newsletter every three months. We plan to report about recent developments and the next steps in the AIRSAN Project, to introduce you to teams and individual persons supporting the AIRSAN Project and to provide further interesting information, like This document arises from the AIRSAN project recent publications or reports from events in the working environment which has received funding from the European Union, in the framework of the Health Programme. of the project. Sole responsibility lies with the author. The Please, do not hesitate to contact us, if you have further suggestions Executive Agency for Health and Consumers is not responsible for any use that may be made of the and expectations to the AIRSAN Project and the AIRSAN Team. information contained therein. Contact us: [email protected] | www.airsan.eu AIRSAN Newsletter – Issue No. 1 – October 2013 2 The AIRSAN Project Platform will serve for dissemination of information among a wider audience and for information exchange General project information among AIRSAN Network Members. Benefit 4: AIRSAN Training Tool The AIRSAN Project has been funded by the Health Programme of the EU (Agreement Number 2012 11 02) The AIRSAN Training Tool will support authorities and for a period of two years (April 2013 to March 2015). companies with the implementation of the AIRSAN Guidance Documents. Background Core work packages The rapid increase of air transport results in a growing risk of serious cross‐border public health threats in the Work package 4: EU. "Serious cross‐border threat to health" means a Work package 4 consists of actions undertaken to hazard of biological, chemical, environmental or create an AIRSAN Network and to provide a tested set unknown origin which is likely to spread across national of new/revised AIRSAN Guidance Documents for the borders of Member States and which may cause a response to public health threats in air transport. The potential severe risk to public health necessitating a objectives of work package 4 are coordinated action at EU level. to develop an AIRSAN Network, Thus, there is an urgent need to facilitate a coordinated response to possible public health threats in air to perform a survey amongst AIRSAN Network transport among EU Member States. members in order to gather information on existing guidance documents and regulations, Objective to review existing international guidance documents The objective of the AIRSAN Project is to support EU and regulations, Member States to ensure a well‐organized and coherent to develop and field test a set of new AIRSAN response to public health threats in air transport. Guidance Documents, Target groups to perform a gap analysis of the field tested AIRSAN Guidance Documents in context of the core capacity The AIRSAN Project involves companies, such as airports list of the International Health Regulations 2005 and and airlines, and authorities, such as public health to determine the impact of the AIRSAN Guidance authorities at local and national level as well as civil Documents on additional requirements for airport aviation authorities. infrastructure. Expected benefits Work package 5: Benefit 1: AIRSAN Network Work package 5 consists of actions undertaken to make The AIRSAN Network will bring together national public the AIRSAN Project known to the public and to create health and civil aviation authorities, local public health an AIRSAN Communication Platform specifically for the authorities, airport management and airlines across EU AIRSAN Network members to exchange relevant Member States. This AIRSAN Network shall facilitate information on public health threats in the aviation greater mutual understanding of the requirements, sector. The objective of work package 5 is practicalities and impact of proposed measures in the to develop an AIRSAN Website linked to an AIRSAN management of public health threats in air transport. Communication Platform. Benefit 2: AIRSAN Guidance Documents Work package 6: The AIRSAN Guidance Documents will focus on Work package 6 consists of actions undertaken to managing public health threats in air transport, for support the EU Member States applying the new example the communication with other stakeholders or AIRSAN Guidance Documents. The objective of work the response coordination to public health threats. They package 6 is: will be developed following a review of existing guidance documents, e.g. in the area of the to develop an AIRSAN Training Tool to support International Health Regulation 2005. The AIRSAN countries in the implementation of the International Guidance Documents will be tested within the AIRSAN Health Regulations 2005 and the new AIRSAN Network. Guidance Documents. Benefit 3: AIRSAN Website and AIRSAN Communication Platform The AIRSAN Website and the AIRSAN Communication Contact us: [email protected] | www.airsan.eu AIRSAN Newsletter – Issue No. 1 – October 2013 3 AIRSAN Partners AIRSAN Scientific Advisory Board In order to properly coordinate and steer the project’s The AIRSAN Project has a well‐defined coordination progress, a Scientific Advisory Board has been structure that includes the project management and established consisting of representatives of overall coordination of the project as well as the international organizations for scientific advice including scientific coordination, project partners and external an advice on non‐biological threats. It will also representation. guarantee the systematic networking between all AIRSAN Associated Partners involved partners and thereby avoid overlap. The Associated Partners constitute the main working World Health Organization (WHO) group of the AIRSAN Project. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany; leader of work International Air Transport Association (IATA) packages 1, 2, 3, 4 German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Urban Development (BMVBS) University of Thessaly (UTH‐EL), Greece; leader of Office for Nuclear Regulation, an agency of the work package 5 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Preparedness and Response Unit, National Institute European Commission, DG MOVE for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Netherlands; leader of work package 6 Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of AIRSAN Executive Agency Public Health, National Institute of Hygiene The Executive

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