European Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance Network (ELDSNet) - Operating procedures

This document describes the operating procedures of the travel-associated Legionnaires’ disease surveillance scheme of the European Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance Network (ELDSNet), which is coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The objective of these procedures is to offer a standardised approach to reporting cases notified from European Union Member States and other contributing countries in order to detect, and respond to, clusters of travelassociated Legionnaires’ disease (TALD).

These procedures describe how information is communicated within the network to other stakeholders and also covers actions by network members in response to TALD clusters. The first sections of these procedures provide some basic facts on Legionnaires’ disease, the risk of exposure associated with travelling, and the currently known sources of infection. It also describes the added value of this EU surveillance scheme.

Further sections describe the procedures for reporting and managing notifications of TALD cases. They define the roles and responsibilities of the network’s coordinating centre at ECDC and the scheme’s national network members (which are appointed by the EU Member States) in response to reports of single cases and clusters. This document also outlines all relevant stages and deadlines the network members in the country of infection undertake in order to inform ECDC of investigations and control measures taken in response to reported clusters.

Additional information is given on how the general public, including tour operators in EU/EEA, may at times be informed of the status of actions within the remit of these procedures.