LEGIONELLA. NOT TO BE NEGLECTED

Since 2011, Europe has seen a rising trend in legionellosis cases, with annual notification rates reaching a peak of 2.4 cases per 100,000 population in 2021. Following the call for proposals published by the European Commission in autumn 2023 for the designation of the first EU Reference Laboratories for Public Health (EURLs), the EU Reference Laboratory in Public Health on Legionella (EURL-PH-LEGI) was officially designated in December 2024 for a seven-year term.

The main objective of the EURL-PH-LEGI is to promote best practices and support EU/EEA Member States in the field of diagnosing, testing, and typing methods for Legionella. This aims to ensure reliable and comparable data, strengthen laboratory capacities, and improve the surveillance, notification, and reporting of cases.

The EURL-PH-LEGI is funded by the European Union’s EU4Health Programme under Grant Agreement 101194818.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

You can contact the EURL-PH-LEGI via e-mail EURL-PH-LEGI Coordination