Projects
Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. Modern approaches to diagnostics, epidemiology, prevention, therapy and preparedness. KU Leuven
NEG - Health.2010.2.3.2. Potentially new and re-emerging epidemics.
Over the last years, large outbreaks of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in several European countries and neighbouring areas are on the rise. This disease poses a great threat to public health due to its high mortality rate, modes of transmission and geographical distribution. Climate changes and observation of the CCHFV vector in central Europe alarm the ...
Assessing population health from exposure to tobacco-specific carcinogens in Belgium using an innovative wastewater-based epidemiology approach (APOLLO). University of Antwerp
West Nile Integrated Shield Project: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Prevention of West Nile Virus in Europe Ghent University
The world is facing a variety of viral infections of high pathogenic potential. These are either novel or formely only endemic in specific areas of the world. It is intrinsic to such emerging diseases that actions to prevent and fight them must be taken while the number of Infections is still relatively low and geographically restricted. Therefore, research efforts are required well before large outbeaks occur. In addition, effective ...
Systems approach of URban enviRonmEnts and heALth Hasselt University
Integrating Multi-Disciplinary Expertise in a Learning and Adaptive European Pandemic Preparedness System KU Leuven
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a global need for accelerating research, improving surveillance, and efficiently developing countermeasures against pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. LEAPS aims to demonstrate the value and feasibility of a pro-active policy-supporting strategy for genomic surveillance and for pandemic preparedness and response, by delivering a system-wide stakeholder-validated proof of concept, validated in 4 ...
Europe-wide Sewage analysis to Monitor Emerging drug problems (EuSeME). University of Antwerp
Investigating the Human Mycobolome through Uniting Large-scale Epidemiological and Mechanistic Poly-omic Designs Ghent University
Mycotoxins, toxic fungal secondary metabolites, known to be the most hazardous of all food contaminants in terms of chronic toxicity, have the potential to contribute to a diversity of adverse health effects in humans, and are unfortunately ubiquitously present in our daily diet. Chronic low-dose intake of multiple mycotoxins are hypothesized to be associated with an increased risk of developing human carcinomas. HuMyco refers to a unique, ...
MOnitoring Outbreak events for Disease surveillance in a data science context KU Leuven
The detection of infectious disease emergence relies on reporting cases, i.e. indicator-based surveillance (IBS). This method lacks sensitivity, due to non or delayed reporting of cases. In a changing environment due to climate change, animal and human mobility, population growth and urbanization, there is an increased risk of emergence of new and exotic pathogens, which may pass undetected with IBS. Hence, the need to detect signals of ...
The evolutionary dynamics of pathogen emergence and establishment: from Reservoir Detection to Outbreak Control KU Leuven
Extracted evolutionary and epidemiological information from pathogen genomes has grown into an important instrument across infectious disease research. By harnessing such information, molecular epidemiologists aim to shed light on the origin and epidemic history of pathogens, from reservoir dynamics to emergence and adaptation to new hosts, and their spatiotemporal spread. However, despite the revolution in genome sequencing technologies and ...