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PROJECT SYNOPSES Interested in European research? Research*eu is our monthly magazine keeping you in touch with main developments (results, programmes, events, etc.). It is available in English, French, German and Spanish. A free sample copy or free subscription can be obtained from: European Commission Directorate-General for Research Communication Unit B-1049 Brussels Fax (32-2) 29-58220 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/research/research-eu EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Research Directorate F — Health Unit F.3 — Infectious diseases Contact: Cornelius SCHMALTZ European Commission Office: CDMA 02/137 B-1049 Brussels E-mail: [email protected] Pictures © Shutterstock, 2008 (unless stated otherwise) EUROPEAN COMMISSION 2008 Directorate-General for Research EUROPE DIRECT is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number(*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008 ISBN 978-92-79-09458-3 © European Communities, 2008 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE -FREE P A P ER Chapter 1 - Preparedness and capacity building for Emerging Epidemics PREFACE by Manuel Hallen, Acting Director for Health Directorate-General for Research nfectious diseases are a moving target. The vCJD in the mid 1990s triggered a substantial how in fields as diverse as molecular biology, evolution of hosts and microbes as well as research effort on transmissible spongiform entomology, epidemiology and health systems Ithe influence of other environmental factors encephalopathies (TSEs) starting from FP4 un- analysis are required in order to have a lasting such as climate, changes in travel patterns and til today in both the food safety as well as the impact on the health of populations in Europe other social determinants, the use of antibiot- human health programmes. Recognising the in- and worldwide. The project portfolio presented ics/antivirals etc., all lead to changes in the creasing importance of these diseases, the lat- in this publication underlines this fact: it includes distribution, the epidemiology and the clinical est Framework Programme, FP7 (2007-2013), projects not only from the Food Quality and picture of existing infectious diseases and to adds a new dimension of support by creating Safety and the human Health programmes of the development of new infectious diseases. a specific area within the Collaborative Re- FP6, but also from the programme on Scien- Emerging and re-emerging infectious search HEALTH theme dedicated exclusively to tific Support for Policies, and the International diseases (EID) are just the most visible “tip the field of “potentially new and re-emerging Collaboration, Environment and Infrastructures of the iceberg” of these changes that affect epidemics”. This new focal point will allow us to programmes. Importantly, we crossed again all infectious diseases. In its most recent World strategically plan funding priorities and to sys- (as we did in the above mentioned influenza Health Report 2007, the World Health Organi- tematically build a European research capacity research publication) the borders between re- zation (WHO) stresses that infectious diseases in this field. search, policy support and implementation by are not only spreading faster, but also appear to including a number of projects funded through be emerging more quickly than ever before, at Going forward, however, is not possible without the Programme of Community Action in the field a rate of more than one new disease per year. looking back and taking stock. The present pub- of Public Health. I am very grateful to our col- There are now nearly 40 diseases that were un- lication aims to do exactly that: to give an over- leagues within the Research Directorate General known a generation ago.1 The names of some view of the existing portfolio of EU-supported as well as to our colleagues from the Directorate of these newly emerging diseases, such as projects in the area of EID. As explained in more General for Health and Consumer Protection and AIDS, variant Creutzfeld-Jacobs disease (vCJD - detail in the Introduction, there is no uniform the Public Health Executive Agency for gener- the human version of “mad cow disease”) and classification of this group of illnesses, and our ously sharing information on their projects with SARS as well as those of re-emerging diseases selection of some of the most relevant patho- us and advising us in the selection of projects such as chikungunya and influenza, emphasise gen-specific projects as well as a larger group of included in this publication. the relevance and extent of this threat. more generic approaches to different aspects of EID is certainly not perfect. It needs to be seen As I hope reading about the different projects About 25% of all annual deaths worldwide are in the context of the structure of our work pro- will convince you, research on EID is crucial still due to infectious diseases and since many gramme, which for example has a separate and for Europe and the world in order to confront of these diseases disproportionately afflict the very important section for research on antimicro- these threats with innovative vaccines, drugs, younger population, they are responsible for bial drug resistance, as well as in the context of surveillance schemes and diagnostic tests, as more than 50% of years-of-life lost.2 More previous publications: the very significant invest- well as containment and mitigation methods. specific data on emerging infectious diseases ment into EU-funded influenza research justified Fortunately, new scientific and technological depend on the exact definition of this group a separate publication.3 Influenza projects are developments also make this one of the most and are difficult to consolidate. Importantly, therefore not included here even though they exciting interdisciplinary research areas with a however, the impact of EID goes far beyond just are an essential part of the EID portfolio. The direct impact on the health of millions of people. those numbers: the epidemic or pandemic po- present synopsis provides firm evidence of the I look forward to hearing about the successful tential of many of these diseases is what deter- Commission’s ongoing commitment to support outcome of the projects presented here, as well mines the magnitude of their threat. Therefore, research on EID (with an EC contribution total- as to the further strengthening and integration research on surveillance, early recognition and ling over €100 million for the 34 projects listed of the European Research Area through FP7 early intervention are essential in “preparing herein). It is my hope that it will also be a useful funding in this area. for the unknown”. source of information for the scientific community as well as for the interested general public. Research on EID has been included in the Eu- ropean Commission’s Framework Programmes With the majority of EID being of zoonotic (i.e. (FP) for Research since their very inception: animal) origin, research in this field is by its very HIV projects for example were funded as early definition interdisciplinary. But in addition to as 1985 in the first FP, and the emergence of veterinary and human health expertise, know- Manuel Hallen 1 World Health Organisation. World Health Report 2007 (World Health Organisation, Geneva 2007) 2 World Health Organisation. World Health Statistics 2008 (World Health Organisation, Geneva, 2008). 3 http://ec.europa.eu/research/health/poverty-diseases/doc/influenza-research_en.pdf Chapter 1 - Preparedness and capacity building for Emerging Epidemics 5 INTRODUCTION nfectious Diseases, once considered to be an It also includes the first two projects funded exclusively relevant in low-income countries issue of the past, remain firmly on the agenda in FP7 and six projects funded through the – and under EID we address emerging viral Iof major causes of mortality and years of Programme of Community Action in the field diseases – which to some extent coincide life lost. Emerging and re-emerging infectious of Public Health (see list under “Funding with diseases presenting a potential threat diseases (EID) are of particular concern Programmes” on page 88). to Europe. Hence, research on diseases because they usually hit unprepared populations. such as leishmaniasis or Chaga’s disease is Appropriate diagnostic tests, vaccines, drugs, There is no uniform classification of EID. A not included in this catalogue, while dengue and containment and mitigation measures are frequently used definition states that EID are research projects for example are. frequently not available and there is danger of “infections that have newly appeared in a n Influenza is arguably the single most an epidemic or a pandemic outbreak. Research population or have existed previously but are important EID, and constitutes the so on EID is the only way to confront these issues, rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic far largest single disease portfolio in the to enhance preparedness, to react quickly in range”2. But questions like (i) for how long are “Potentially new or Re-Emerging Epidemics” the case of a new epidemic and – to the extent diseases considered “emerging” once they are activity.