EU reference laboratories support outbreak diagnostics and preparedness

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) highlighted the role of EU Reference Laboratories for Public Health (EURLs) in strengthening preparedness for communicable disease threats. These specialised laboratories support national reference laboratories and aim to align diagnostic and surveillance capacity across countries. Their services include reference diagnostics and materials, external quality assessments, technical support, training and outbreak assistance.

ECDC cited recent outbreaks involving Bundibugyo ebolavirus and Andes virus. Because these pathogens are very rare in the EU, diagnostic capacity needed to be assessed rapidly across Member States. The EU reference laboratory for emerging, rodent-borne and zoonotic viral pathogens, with support from the reference laboratory for vector-borne viruses, provided diagnostic support, protocols, reference materials and biosafety guidance. For Andes virus, the countries concerned received diagnostic supplies before the affected ship reached EU shores.

The agency presents the examples as evidence of the operational value of laboratory preparedness and points stakeholders to a guide describing EURL services and access. The item is an institutional preparedness update, not a study reporting comparative outcomes or quantified effects; it does not provide details on the number of countries supported or measures of diagnostic performance.