gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: In Eastern European countries, HIV/AIDS and other infections are rapidly increasing. There is a lack of experience and resources in Eastern Europe in comparison to Western Europe, especially with regard to the HIV/AIDS threat. Knowledge of local problems is sparse in Western Europe, however, it could be important in helping Eastern Europe cope with the problems at the source. This led to the idea of creating a network between German ans Eastern European public health and other experts to deal with these issues.

Material and Methods: Members of the ‘Infectious Disease Epidemiology’ (IDE) sector of the DGEpi were invited to join an new epidemiological network. Moreover, several IDE specialists were directly asked to join. The network was also promoted at the the EU Conference 'Responsibility and Partnership – Together Against HIV/AIDS' in Bremen in March 2007.

Results: Already IDE specialists from Germany have joined the network, together with other specialists in public health, in community health, in IDU, in migrant issues, in TB-surveillance. At the first informal discussion, the following issues were identified as targets of the future network:

Table 1: Network targets in the initial phase

+ Promotion of standardised surveillance procedures

+ Cooperation with hospitals and other partners in the field

+ Epidemiological analysis of surveillance data

+ Defining the individual, and common, purposes of the participants

+ Compiling comprehensive and current information on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe

Discussion and next steps: The support for the new network showed broad interest in the necessity of cooperating across borders against infectious and social threats which themselves don’t stop at borders. The government policy also welcomed this approach, which is supported by the mentioned Bremen conference in march 2007. The next steps are: institutionalise the work of the network, on the basis of a permanent address, expand the general information on the homepage, collate specialised topic areas suitable for cross-border cooperation and search for project funding in the field of HIV/AIDS in Germany and the European Union.