Neisseria meningitidis is the major worldwide cause of meningitis and rapidly fatal sepsis in healthy individuals. The risk of meningococcal disease is higher among those with complement deficiencies, asplenia and other underlying conditions. N. meningitidis is the only agent among the major...

External quality assessment (EQA) is part of quality management systems (QMS) and evaluates performance of laboratories, by an outside agency, on material that is supplied specifically for the purpose. ECDC's disease-specific networks organise a series of EQAs for EU/EEA countries. In some...

Effective control of an uncommon vaccine-preventable disease is dependent upon prompt and early recognition and diagnosis. It is often difficult to diagnose diphtheria clinically, particularly in those countries where the disease is rarely seen. Diphtheria is often confused with other...

Twenty-one laboratories from 21 EU/EEA countries participated in the first external quality assurance scheme for Bordetella pertussis PCR by ECDC on behalf of the EUpert-labnet network. The panel included dilutions of purified genomic DNA from B. pertussis at three concentrations designated...

Haemophilus influenzae is a common cause of respiratory tract infections. Most strains of H. influenzae are opportunistic pathogens and rarely cause invasive disease unless other factors concur (i.e. viral infections, immunological deficits). Nevertheless, invasive bacterial diseases account for...

Effective control of an uncommon vaccine-preventable disease is dependent upon prompt and early recognition and diagnosis. It is often difficult to diagnose diphtheria clinically, particularly in those countries where the disease is rarely seen. Diphtheria is often confused with other...

External quality assessments (EQA) are an essential part of any laboratory-based surveillance system, allowing for the monitoring of performance and comparability of results from participating laboratories, identification of potential issues and deployment of resources and training where...

External quality assessment (EQA) is an essential part of any laboratory-based surveillance system, allowing for the monitoring of performance and comparability of results from participating laboratories, identification of potential issues and deployment of resources and training where...