A peek behind the scenes at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - the EU agency that aims to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging threats to human health posed by infectious diseases in Europe.
Hear from our experts on a wide range of topics as they discuss the things that matter, and give you a crash course in Epidemiology 101.
Publisher
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Episode 79 - Antonia Genath & Linda Adamíková - Learning In The Field: 7 Weeks In South Sudan
What happens when field epidemiology moves beyond the desk?
To mark World Field Epidemiology Day, Antonia Genath and Linda Adamíková share their experience of a seven-week deployment to South Sudan, where they supported Ebola preparedness and surveillance activities.
They discuss working in a fragile health system, strengthening surveillance, supporting contact-tracing preparedness and collaborating with local colleagues in Juba and Yambio, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They also reflect on what the deployment taught them, both professionally and personally, and why getting outside the “European surveillance bubble” can change the way you think about epidemiology.
Linda and Antonia are fellows in the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) and the German Postgraduate Training for Applied Epidemiology (PAE). During their two-year fellowships, they are based at Germany’s national public health institute, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), where they contribute to projects and routine activities in infectious disease epidemiology.
Check the links below to learn more about:
🔗 ECDC Fellowship Programme (EPIET/EUPHEM) (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/epiet-euphem)
🔗 Ebola disease page (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/ebola-disease)
🔗 Information on the current Ebola outbreak in DRC (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/ebola-outbreak-democratic-republic-congo-and-uganda)
4 Sept 2026
Risk Wire - Episode 4 - Otilia Mårdh - When Gonorrhoea Fights Back
Gonorrhoea has developed resistance to almost every antibiotic used against it. So what happens when the treatments we still rely on start to lose their effectiveness?
Cases of gonorrhoea resistant to ceftriaxone, currently the first-line treatment, are increasing in Europe. And while resistant infections were previously mainly linked to travel, there is now growing evidence that transmission is also happening locally.
In this episode of ECDC: On Air – Risk Wire, Otilia Mårdh, ECDC expert on sexually transmitted infections, explains what is behind the rise of drug-resistant gonorrhoea, why Neisseria gonorrhoeae is so good at developing resistance and what multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant gonorrhoea actually mean.
Could gonorrhoea eventually become untreatable? We look at how close we are to losing some of the treatments available today, what new antibiotics could offer, and how surveillance, prevention, testing and appropriate treatment can help keep gonorrhoea treatable.
Learn more:
ECDC risk assessment on ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/upsurge-ceftriaxone-resistant-neisseria-gonorrhoeae-evidence-domestic?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
ECDC information on gonorrhoea (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/gonorrhoea?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
20 Aug 2026
Episode 77 - Céline Gossner - What’s Biting Europe? Mosquitoes On The Move
On World Mosquito Day, we’re taking a closer look at Europe’s changing mosquito landscape and what it means for public health.
Mosquitoes capable of transmitting diseases such as dengue and chikungunya are now established in more parts of Europe, while West Nile virus is already circulating across the continent. As mosquito distributions and environmental conditions change, more areas may become suitable for transmission.
In this episode of ECDC: On Air, Céline Gossner, Deputy Head of Unit One Health related Diseases / Head of Section Food, Water, Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases at ECDC, explains what we need to know about dengue, chikungunya and West Nile virus in Europe.
How can an infection acquired while travelling lead to local transmission back home? Which mosquitoes transmit which diseases? Who is more at risk of severe illness, and what can we do to protect ourselves and the people around us?
We also look at how mosquito breeding can be reduced around our homes and communities, how climate and environmental conditions influence transmission, and why surveillance, early detection and preparedness are becoming increasingly important.
The message is not one of alarm, but of preparedness. Understanding the risks and acting early can help reduce the impact of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe.
Learn more:
🦟 Mosquito-borne diseases at ECDC
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/mosquito-borne-diseases (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/mosquito-borne-diseases)
🗺️ Where are different mosquito species found in Europe?
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/surveillance-and-disease-data/mosquito-maps (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/surveillance-and-disease-data/mosquito-maps)
✈️ Mosquito-borne diseases: what you need to know before, during and after travelling
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/mosquito-borne-diseases-what-you-need-know-during-and-after-travelling (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/mosquito-borne-diseases-what-you-need-know-during-and-after-travelling)
Who has been a guest on ECDC: On Air
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Linda Trönnberg
Theresa Enkirch
Andrea Würz
Sarah Earnshaw Blomquist
Leonidas Alexakis
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