Organised by Sciensano, under the auspices of the Belgian Association for Public Health (BAPH).

Sciensano organises each year a scientific seminar about “Diagnostic and surveillance of infectious diseases”.

The seminar provides an up-to-date overview of various topics concerning infectious diseases such as surveillance, prevention, treatment and management of epidemics, at national and international level. It is aimed at any healthcare provider with an interest in infectious diseases: microbiologists, infectious disease specialists, hygienists, laboratory technicians, epidemiologists, public health personnel …

Registration

You can attend the event on site [2] (300 seats available) or online.

​Register now! [3]

Program

08:30 Registration with walking breakfast & visit of stands

Session 1 | Chairs: Erika Vlieghe (UAntwerp) & Jorgen Stassijns (Sciensano) 

09:00 Welcome address

09:15  New vaccines in the market.pdf [4] | S. Callens, UZGent

09:45  Unveiling infectious diseases: the power of next generation sequencing.pdf [5] | J.W.A. Rossens, University of Groningen

10:10  Cluster of cysticercosis in a school.pdf [6] | A. Devos, Department Zorg

10:35  Respi-radar: a tool to monitor respiratory infections.pdf [7] | G. De Muylder, Sciensano 

11:10-11:30 Coffee break & visit of stands

Session 2 | Chairs: Denis Piérard (UZ Brussels) & Adrae Taame (Cocom)

11:30  Indications of molecular diagnosis for respiratory pathogens — update on the current situation.pdf [8] | R. Naesens, Ziekenhuis Netwerk Antwerpen

11:55   Diphtheria: clinical picture and management of cases.pdf [9] | C. Martin, CHU Saint Pierre Brussels

12:20   Diphtheria among asylum seekers outbreak: management inside a reception center.pdf [10] | J.F. Léonard, AVIQ

12:45-14:00 Lunch and poster session 

Session 3 | Chairs: Steven Van Gucht (Sciensano) & Rémy Demeester (CHU Charleroi)

14:00   Estimated numbers of covid-19 deaths averted by vaccination in Belgium.pdf [11] | V. Stouten, Sciensano

14:10  Clinical impact of a direct rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (dRAST).pdf [12] | C. Fontaine, CHBA Seraing

14:35  West Nile virus and Dengue in South Europe: epidemiology and public health response.pdf [13] | H. Devalk, Santé Publique France 

15:05  Increase of invasive group A streptococcus infections.pdf [14] | P. Smeesters, ULBruxelles 

15:35    Increase in gonorrhea: overview of the situation.pdf [15]| A. Lecompte, Sciensano

15:45 Closing address and end of seminar

Scientific posters

A phase 3 clinical study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of v116 an investigational adult-specific pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.pdf [16]

Advancing wastewater surveillance-development and validation of amr detection methods.pdf [17]

Assessment of covid-19 contact tracing network accuracy via phylogenetic analysis of community-level sars-cov-2 genomic data.pdf [18]

Azole resistance aspergillus Belgium.pdf [19]

Comparison of belgian covid-19 mortality between epidemiological surveillance and death certificates for the years 2020 and 2021.pdf [20]

Epidemiological evolution of scabies in Belgium 2000-2022.pdf [21]

Epidemiological situation of tick-borne encephalitis in Belgium an overview.pdf [22]

Have we forgotten how to rime — a case report on a rare infection-triggered mucocutaneous complication.pdf [23]

Immunogenicity of v116 21-valent pcv in pneumococcal naive adults 50-64, 65-74 and 75 years of age subgroup analysis of a randomized phase 3 trail stride-3.pdf [24]

Indirect effect on adult ipd of changes in childhood immunization programmes pcv13 to pcv10 to pcv13 in Belgium 2014-2023.pdf [25]

Individual level analysis of digital proximity tracing for covid-19 in Belgium highlights major bottlenecks.pdf [26]

Influenza like-illness surveillance using a belgian sentinel network of nursing homes — results of season 2022-23.pdf [27]

Is equitable priority vaccination of the vulnerable feasible in a real-world context — the case of Belgium.pdf [28]

Monitoring of the immune response to sars-cov-2 in vulnerable populations — the covico study 2023-2026.pdf [29]

Prolonged vim-producing pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak at a belgian intensive care department an outbreak investigation report 2019-2023.pdf [30]

Q-Net-Assess project — improved molecular surveillance and assessment of host adaption and virulence of coxiella burnetii in Europe.pdf [31]

Rapid increase of vaccine serotype 4 invasive pneumococcal disease in young adults since 2020 in Belgium.pdf [32]

Rapid on-site metagenomic sequencing for One Health pathogen and antimicrobial resistance surveillance.pdf [33]

The prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from humans in Belgium 2021 versus 2017.pdf [34]

Third dose of covid-19 mrna vaccine closes the gap in immune response between naive nursing home residents and healthy adults.pdf [35]

Uncovering gaps in knowledge a survey of Belgian general practitioners awareness of legionnaires disease diagnostic testing.pdf [36]

Wastewater-based epidemiology in Belgium - a complementary surveillance system for early warning of outbreaks for infectious diseases.pdf [37]

 

Abstract book

Have a look at the abstract book! [38]

 

Accreditation

Accreditation is being requested for ethics and economics (morning) and workshop (afternoon).

More info? Please contact ssid@sciensano.be [39] (02/642.57.37).

 

Previous events

2023 Symposium on Infectious Diseases [40]

2022 Symposium on Infectious Diseases [41]

2021 Symposium on Infectious Diseases [42]

2019 Symposium on Infectious Diseases [43]

2018 Symposium on Infectious Diseases [44]