ECDC: On Air

Mar 24 2025 60 ep. 20 mins 35
ECDC: On Air Podcast artwork

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.

  Science
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Episode 59 - Veronica Cristea - Beyond numbers: Understanding TB

Mar 24 2025 21 mins  
Marking World TB Day 2025, this episode explores the data on tuberculosis in Europe based on the latest surveillance report, published recently by ECDC and WHO.Veronica Cristea, Scientific Officer at ECDC, discusses the overall TB situation in the EU/EEA, the impact of COVID-19, challenges in treatment success, and the concerning rise in TB cases among children. Veronica also highl

Episode 58 - Alessandro Broglia and Katriina Willgert - Avian Flu – The Next Pandemic Threat?

Mar 05 2025 28 mins  
This episode explores the growing threat of avian influenza, which has led to massive outbreaks in bird populations and an increasing number of cases in mammals.With nearly 70 human cases and one death confirmed in the US recently linked to the H5N1 subtype, concerns are rising about its potential to spread among humans in Europe and cause a pandemic.Experts from European Centre fo

Episode 57 - Leonidas Alexakis - Health Task Force in Action - DRC Congo

Jan 08 2025 12 mins  
In this episode of ECDC on Air, we speak with Leonidas Alexakis, an expert in epidemic intelligence at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Leonidas shares insights from his recent deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the European Health Task Force. He discusses his role in supporting the response to the ongoing mpox outbreak, t

Episode 56 - Eeva Broberg - RSV - A Winter Threat To The Vulnerable

Dec 18 2024 19 mins  
In this interview, we sit down with Eeva Broberg, ECDC Principal Expert on respiratory viruses, who tells us why respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an often overlooked disease which represents a considerable risk to certain groups every winter. Eeva also talks about the impact on healthcare, and whether current treatments like monoclonal antibodies and the introduction of vaccine

Episode 55 - Agnė Bajorinienė - Bridging the Borders of Public Health

Oct 14 2024 22 mins  
In this episode, we sit down with Agnė Bajorinienė - International Relations Officer at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to discuss the agency’s role in preparing Western Balkan, Türkiye and EU candidate countries for full EU membership from public health perspective. Agnė explains the importance of public health cooperation, highlights ongoing p

Episode 54 - Csaba Kodmon - Chasing The Clones

Oct 09 2024 15 mins  
In this episode, we delve into the world of tuberculosis (TB) with ECDC microbiology expert Csaba Kodmon. We explore the importance of molecular surveillance in tracking genetic variations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, identifying emerging strains, and preventing epidemics. Csaba discusses cross-border molecular clusters and how data from EU member states aids in understanding TB

Episode 53 - Andrea Ammon - The Farewell Episode

Jun 11 2024 23 mins  
In this episode, we make a final interview with ECDC Director Andrea Ammon, who will soon be retiring after a long career in public health. Andrea Ammon speaks about her 19 years at ECDC, including 9 years as Director, and reflects on how the agency has evolved. She also tells us about the most memorable moments and challenges, including managing the Centre during the COVID-19 pand

Episode 52 - Diamantis Plachouras - Healthcare-associated infections

Jun 04 2024 14 mins  
According to the latest ECDC survey, each year, 4.3 million patients in hospitals in the EU/EEA acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection during their stay in the hospital. Diamantis Plachouras - ECDC Principal Expert in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections tells us why this issue needs to be tackled as swift as possible and goes deeper into the

Episode 51 - Gerjon Ikink - Exploring the Future of Health

Apr 10 2024 19 mins  
Public health institutes across Europe increasingly recognise the value of examining public health trends and imagining what the future may look like according to different scenarios. In this episode, Gerjon Ikink, ECDC principal expert on public health foresight, explains what foresight is, why it is important in public health, and how it can be translated into concrete action to

Episode 50 - Carlos Carvalho - The Power of Digital Health Data

Mar 27 2024 32 mins  
For today's episode we sit down with Carlos Carvalho - ECDC's Principal Expert in Digital Surveillance to talk about the state of play of making the public health data flow up to speed in the third decade of the XXI-st century and usable for modern surveillance of infectious diseases. How far are we in creating the fully digital health data system in Europe, enabling us to