European Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses Network (FWD-Net)
In 2007, the EU-funded dedicated surveillance network for enteric pathogens – Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter (Enter-net) was transferred to ECDC from the Health Protection Agency in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, the scope of the disease network was broadened to cover 21 food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses, and nomination of disease experts followed the ECDC policy on Coordinating Competent Body (CCB).
FWD-Net is coordinated by ECDC with the support of a coordination committee (CC) consisting of representatives from the EU Member States. The committee advises ECDC on ways to strengthen and improve FWD surveillance and prevention in Europe and reviews technical documents relevant to the network.
FWD-Net also collaborates with partners, such as European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), World Health Organisation, relevant European Union Reference Laboratories and public health authorities of non-EU countries, e.g. US CDC. Furthermore, ECDC is actively collaborating with PulseNet International, the global network of public health laboratory networks, to ensure comparability of data and linkage to the global public health community.
General surveillance objectives for food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses in EU/EEA
- Monitor trends in food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses as well as antimicrobial resistance in human Salmonella and Campylobacter infections over time and across Member States;
- Detect and monitor multinational food- and waterborne and zoonotic outbreaks with respect to source, time, population and place in order to provide a rationale for public health action;
- Contribute to the evaluation and monitoring of prevention and control programmes by providing evidence for recommendations to strengthen and improve these programmes at the national and European level;
- Identify population groups at risk and in need of targeted prevention measures;
- Contribute to the assessment of the burden of food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses on the population;
- Generate hypotheses on (new) sources, modes of transmission and groups most at risk and identify needs for research and pilot projects.
Specific surveillance objectives for antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. in EU/EEA
- To monitor, in human clinical isolate trends in the occurrence of resistance to antimicrobial agents relevant for treatment of human Salmonella and Campylobacter infections, including comparison with food/animal isolates;
- To monitor, in human clinical isolates, trends in the occurrence of resistance to other antimicrobial agents of public and animal health importance, including comparison with food/animal isolates;
- To monitor, in human clinical isolates, the prevalence of ESBL, plasmid-encoded Ambler class C β-lactamases (pAmpC) and carbapenemase phenotypes and genotypes;
- To use antimicrobial resistance patterns to characterise human clinical isolates, i.e. as an epidemiological marker, to support identification of outbreaks and related cases;
- To identify and monitor, in human clinical isolates, genetic determinants of resistance that are important for public health e.g. to aid recognition of epidemic cross-border spread of multi-drug resistant Salmonella strains;
- To monitor, in human clinical isolates, trends in the occurrence of resistance to antimicrobial agents that may be needed for future therapeutic use.
For more detailed information on the surveillance of food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses by pathogen, please see the individual disease health topic pages and factsheets.
The ECDC network co-ordinators can be contacted at fwd@ecdc.europa.eu.
Participating institutions
In accordance with rules governing Coordinating Competent Body (CCB) structure in each Member State, the following Institutes have been nominated as National Focal Points (updated January 2015).
