Workplan
Work Package 1: Project management and coordination
The management of the consortium activities (including adminstrative and financial aspects) is important to ensure continuity and coherence and to reduce redundancy.
Furthermore, the coordination with the ECDC and the network laboratories of EU/EEA Member States is crucial to communicate the special needs of laboratories and the overall aim of a better surveillance. The communication with organization such as WHO or the ESGLI is coordinated in WP1.
Work Package 2: Dissimination and Communication
The WP2 focuses on an efficient and effective visibility, awareness, and acceptance from internal and external stakeholders in the field of Legionella infections. Targeted information to multiple audiences will be provided including this website, infographics and meeting with the laboratory network.
Work Package 3: Evaluation
Each WP will be systematically assessed to evaluate the relevance, efficiency, impact and viability of the tasks of the EURL. Survey questionnaires will be provided to collect feedback on tasks from different stakeholdes. The data produced by these surveys
will be analyzed to ensure that the activities performed met the needs of the target audience and the objectives of the WPs.
Work Package 4: Sustainability
The outcomes of the different tasks within this project shall be preserved even beyond the timeframe and scope of the program. A sustainability plan discribes the priority outcomes of the EURL-PH-LEGI on national, regional and global levels. The WP4 promotes the outcomes of other tasks to implement such as trainings, guidelines and methods.
Work Package 5: Reference diagnostics and protocols
The aim WP5 is to provide a laboratory handbook with well-established and approved methods to detect Legionella in human and environmental samples, to type isolates and to provide tools for outbreak analysis. The broad implementation of PCR as diagsnotic tool will be promoted. In addition, purified monoclonal antibodies from the 'Dresden Panel' will be provided to the laboratory network upon request.
Work Package 6: External quality assessments
The WP6 aims to assess and improve the quality of laboratory surveillance methods by providing external quality assessments (EQA) every year built upon specific needs communicated by the laboratory network, ECDC or based on surveys. These EQA schemes will target different topics such as detection of Legionella in viable types of samples and typing of Legionalla isolates. The EURL-PH-LEGI will also conduct country visits upon request to review, evaluate and improve the laboratory surveillance.
Work Package 7: Scientific advice and technical assistance
The EURL-PH-LEGI will provide centralized accredited reference services to the labarotory network upon request for the diagnosis and characterization of Legionella. The advice and technical support to labarotory network include diagnostic techniques, characterization methods including genomic typing and other methods. Such technical support can also be asked by the ECDC on issues related to the diagnosis of legionellosis, environmental aspects, genomic typing, and outbreak response. The EURL-PH-LEGI provides guidance on the most appropriate and up-to date methods and approaches.
Work Package 8: Training
In addition to the laboratory handbook and quality assessments, the training of the laboratory network is a crucial part of the sustainability ot the EURL-PH-LEGI's tasks. Therefore, trainings will be provided, either as scientific webinars or wet lab training.