PROMOVAX Partnership
National Institute of Health, Italy
The National Institute of Health / Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) is the leading technical and scientific public body of the Italian National Health Service. Its activities include research, control, training and consultation in the interest of public health protection. In detail, the ISS conducts scientific research in a wide variety of fields, from cutting-edge molecular and genetic research to population-based studies of risk factors for disease and disability. Research priorities are based on those set in the National Health Plan.
ISS is organized in 11 Departments and National Centres, including the National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, whose mission is to develop and apply epidemiological and biostatistical methods to monitor and protect human health and to evaluate health services.
The Unit of Communicable Disease Epidemiology of the National Centre of Epidemiology provide scientific evidence to support decision making in public health with regard to prevention and control of infectious disease. The Unit’s activities, in agreement with policy and indication from the European Commission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, are selected according to the immediate impact on the National Health Service. The Unit is also engaged in international activities, promoted by the European Commission and by the World Health Organization. It is involved in the national and European training programme for field epidemiology (EPIET) and provides staff for courses in infectious disease epidemiology and vaccinology, mostly devoted to the Italian National Health Service staff.
The Unit reflects the three components of the whole Center:
• Epidemiology: Studies on the frequency of some infectious diseases and their determinants. Field surveys on outbreaks, on request by the National Health Service or international organizations. Analytical studies on vaccines and vaccination (including clinical trial). Mathematical models on the spread of some infectious diseases to assess the impact of prevention interventions.
• Surveillance: Setting up of experimental surveillance systems, such as the networks of sentinel physicians and of microbiological laboratories, and systems based on alternative sources of information for early warning; evaluation of existing systems; collaboration with government or local authorities in the management and analysis of existing data and for special surveillance activities in case of mass gathering event or health emergency. At present the Unit coordinates six surveillance systems with national coverage and international relevance (flu, legionellosis, invasive bacterial infections including bacterial meningitis, measles, congenital rubella, AR-ISS on antimicrobial resistance).
• Health Promotion: Dissemination of the results of the above studies, also through dedicated websites. Collaboration in the preparation of the Vaccine National Plan, the Measles and Rubella Eradication Plan, Pandemic Preparedness Plan and of the Annual Health Report. Advice and expertise are also provided at national and international level for reviewing scientific documentation.
Contact details:
Silvia Declich
Head of the Communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit
National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion
National Institute of Health / Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS)
Viale Regina Elena, 299 00162 Rome, Italy
Τel.: +39 (06) 4990 4066, Fax: +39 (06) 4990 4267
Email: silvia.declich@iss.it
