Edastuskiri

To:  National Focal Points for FWD, OCPs Microbiology and Epidemiology for Hepatitis A

Copy: National Coordinators

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this email finds you well.

Following feedback we have received from several Member States in the past years, ECDC is exploring setting up voluntary data collection for Hepatitis E surveillance at the EU/EEA level.

We are currently working on a proposal outlining surveillance objectives, case definitions, and variables to be collected. This proposal will further build on the Hepatitis E guidance developed in 2019 by the ECDC HEV expert group consisting of country nominated experts and scientists working on HEV relevant fields, and will largely reflect the decisions made during this consultation process (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/hepatitis-e-guidance.pdf). The final proposal will be discussed in the coming months with countries interested in participating.

To help us plan, we would be grateful if you could let us know by next week Monday 24 November:

- If you would be interested in reviewing the proposal;

- If you would be interested in submitting data starting next year (timeline to be confirmed);

- Who would be the contact person(s) for your country?

We aim to keep data collection practical and focused, avoiding unnecessary details while ensuring a meaningful first step toward coordinated surveillance.

Thank you very much for your consideration, and we look forward to your response.

For your information, in parallel, the ONWARD (One Health Zoonotic Hepevirus Network) project was launched in September 2025 under the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) framework (Action CA24140 - COST), offering ECDC also an opportunity for collaboration while we are setting up the voluntary surveillance; please note that this initiative is independent and not managed by ECDC.

Looking forward hearing from you,

On behalf of the FOVEZ team at ECDC,

Best regards,

Liese Van Gompel