On 13 February 2017 in Tirana, Albania took place the National Workshop ‘Time to Detect and Time to Respond’. This event was organized by Southeast European Centre for Surveillance and Control of Infectious Disease (SECID) in cooperation with Institute of Public Health, (IPH) Tirana. The workshop was organized in the framework of ‘Improving early detection and response of country and cross border diseases, events and risks by digitalization of priority surveillance sources’, supported by Skoll Global Threats Fund – SGTF USA. 

During February-March 2017 epidemiologists’ teams of SECID and Institute of Public Health (IPH) of Albania conducted field trips in Districts: Fier, Kukes, Lezha, Rreshen, Shkodra, Tirana and Vlora. Epidemiologists of IPH organized  meetings with  the epidemiologists in Public Health Directories, as well as in Health Centers and Hospitals. These activities were supported by Skoll Global Threats Fund (SGTF).

The aim of these field trips was:

-to revise the surveillance system of infectious diseases and reporting forms

In the framework of activities related to improving early detection and response of country and cross border diseases, events and risks by digitalization of priority surveillance sources, on 20 and 23 January 2017 SECID organised a meeting with epidemiologists of Control of Infectious Diseases Department of the Institute of Public Health of Albania.

The aim of this meeting was to discuss about the surveillance flowchart. The epidemiologists highlighted the weak points of current surveillance system in Albania and brainstormed ideas how to improve it.

                                                                                                                                                                                    In the framework of the Project “Surveillance and Response to Avian and pandemic Influenza by National Health Authorities of Countries of South East Europe”, on 26^th January 2017 took place a meeting in Institute of Public Health(IPH), Podgorica, Montenegro, between SECID’s team and representatives of IPH Montenegro in Podgorica.

The aim of this field trip was to discuss the activities to be organized in the fourth year of this project and further collaboration.

Also SECID’s team met the laboratory staff, in virology unit and was introduced to the new laboratory equipments purchased in the third year of this project.