First MediLabSecure Network Meeting
JUNE 15 - 16, 2021 - ONLINE
The first MediLabSecure Network Meeting held online on June 15th and 16th was a great success bringing together up to 100 multidisplinary experts from more than 29 countries . All sectors were represented promoting the One Health approach core of the MediLabSecure project.
Read the agenda in English or in French Open to all laboratories in the network
Objectives & Content
After a year and half consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its management, this online meeting represented the opportunity to gather the network together to take stocks on the implementation of MediLabSecure actions. The meeting combined plenary and interactive sessions centered around two main topics : the actions to support the COVID-19 response capacities and the impact of the pandemic on vector-borne diseases management.
AGENDA
Day 1
The meeting was introduced with an official opening by the European Commission programme manager Anne-Sophie Lequarré that presented the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative. An overview on the activities undertaken and foreseen to support arboviral diseases preparedness and COVID-19 response actions was given by the Coordination Team. The presentation can be visualized by clicking here. Paolo Calistri from the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Abruzzo and Molise (IZSAM) delivered a presentation on how an already operationnal One Health strategy improved the preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Working group sessions
The day 1 ended by interactive sectoral round-tables that represented a priviliged moment for the beneficiary members to exchange with the working group coordinators on project’s activities and to express their needs and expectations.
Day 2
The day 2 addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vector-borne diseases (VBDs) management through:
- An interactive ‘Country sharing experience’. The session started with a poll to assess the impact of the pandemic on VBDs management within the MediLabSecure network. The results from the poll are presented on this link.
Then Dr Zoubir Harrat presented the epidemiological and surveillance status of VBDs in Algeria as well as the impact of the pandemic on entomological surveillance activities.
- A keynote lecture delivered by Dr Frederik Seelig from the Global Vector hub. After an introduction on Global Vector Hub and the presentation of the survey on the impact of COVID-19 on VBD research and vector control operations, the lecture addressed the potential consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on arboviral outbreaks occurrence with an opening on the measures to be taken to adapt future preparedness programmes.
Presentations
Presentations given during this meeting will be available by clicking on the links below.
Day 1
- Anne-Sophie LEQUARRE, European Union: "Foreword"
- Vanessa LAGAL, Institut Pasteur, France: "Presentation of the MediLabSecure project"
- Paolo CALISTRI, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise (IZSAM), Italy: "One Health strategy in emergency situation: example of the COVID-19 pandemic"
Day 2
- Zoubir HARRAT, Institut Pasteur d'Algérie, Algeria: "Country shraring experience: example of Algeria"
- Guilain Mikaty, Institut Pasteur, France: "Mauritania outbreak of Rift Valley fever, Fall 2020"
- Frederik SEELIG, Vector Global Hub at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK: "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vector-borne diseases (VBDs) management: Futures perspectives for VBDs preparedness and surveillance"
Charter of Values Collaborative Design
The meeting ended with an online poll aiming to elaborate the charter of values of the project. Amongst the 6 principal commitments that were identified in the first regional meeting in 2019 in Dakar, the majority of respondants (27 total responses) consider that Networking, Sharing and Regional cooperation are the commitments that are associated the most to MediLabSecure project. In addition, most of respondants agreed that Institutional Networking is the main missing commitment, comes after it the One Health strategy and Knowledge transfer (ToT approach) respectively.