Tasks

Surveillance and research

Data from different surveillance systems are analyzed to monitor respiratory infections. The surveillance systems developed and maintained by our unit are a central source of data for the analysis and evaluation of the epidemiological situation. They lay the foundation for scientific studies about the burden and severity of acute respiratory infections, as well as about the effectiveness of vaccines.

This is carried-out under consideration of pathogen-specific data in close cooperation with the National Reference Center (NRC) for influenza viruses located in unit 17 at the RKI and in collaboration with national and international partner institutes such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control [ECDC] and the World Health Organization [WHO], among others. The data from whole genome sequencing of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 are used for analyses of vaccine effectiveness, while data from syndromic and virological surveillance complement the data of the notification system according to the infection protection act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, IfSG) for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV-infections. For legionellosis and tuberculosis, the notification data form the primary source of data for an in-depth analysis of the epidemiology of the diseases. Further data sources (secondary data, such as climate data or data on population structure) are also used in the evaluation. 

The unit works closely together with other units of the RKI, e.g. in projects on waste water monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 or the modeling of epidemiological trends.

Outbreak investigations

Supporting and advising the health departments during outbreak investigations is another essential component of the unit’s work. Of special importance are outbreak investigations in the medical setting, elderly care facilities, and in community facilities. For legionellosis, the search for sources of infection in the environment (drinking water etc.) is a main priority for rapid containment of infection events. To achieve this, we are working closely together with the consultant laboratory for legionella and the German Environment Agency. One of the unit’s focus of activities for tuberculosis is the development of an effective transmission monitoring together with the National Reference Center for mycobacteria through the integration of genomic pathogen information and clinical-epidemiological surveillance data as part of integrated genomic surveillance. A continuous exchange with the respective consultant and reference laboratories, universities, and partner institutions has been established on all subject areas.

Collaboration with national and international committees and advisory boards

Also located in the area of acute viral respiratory diseases is the Executive Secretariat of the Expert Advisory Board on Pandemic Acute Respiratory Infections. To assess outbreaks caused by influenza viruses with zoonotic potential, there is a long-standing collaboration with the Friedrich Loeffler Institute. Representatives from the unit are consulted as experts in the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) working groups and are involved in disease-specific expert networks at the national level. 

International Collaboration

International collaboration is another focus of our work, especially in identifying and managing infection events. As part of the European Legionnaires’ Diseases Surveillance Network (ELDSNet), the unit coordinates the transfer of information to the health departments in Germany, facilitating the implementation of prevention strategies and the exchange of information with the European network. Similar bilateral and multilateral activities, especially with other European countries, also take place in the area of tuberculosis. Here the unit takes on the forwarding of information in the context of international contact tracing. Employees of our unit are also members of Disease Network Coordination Committees (DNCCs) of the ECDC at the European level and take part in various ECDC working groups. In the area of acute respiratory diseases, the unit has been working with the WHO Global Influenza Program for many years, for example in the development of tools to assess the severity of epidemics caused by viral respiratory diseases.

Implementation and communication

The findings gained from epidemiological evaluations and scientific studies are published in national (e.g. in the RKI’s Epidemiological Bulletin) and international peer reviewed publications and feed into the communication to health professionals, the development of guidelines, the advice to scientific commissions as well as to national and international committees. They form the foundation for advising the Public Health Service (ÖGD), creating guides for specific infectious diseases, answering inquiries from the professional public, and advising the Ministry of Health.

We work closely with experts from national institutions, universities, scientific networks and organizations (such as the German Center for Infection Research). The further training of the professional public and the Public Health Service (ÖGD) on subject-specific topics is another task, which is accompanied by courses, web seminars, the organization of conferences (e.g. annual conference on World Tuberculosis Day), and other activities. Central communication and information transfer take place via the RKI websites on the diseases within our competence (see below) and reports, which are created weekly throughout the year for acute viral diseases, annually (e.g. tuberculosis), and on an event related basis for all diseases. The collected data is made available to the ECDC and the WHO for further analyses at an international level and is also being published as open data on GitHub/Zenodo for acute viral respiratory diseases.

Projects

(Selection)

• Assessment of the disease burden caused by influenza, COVID-19, and RSK infections in Germany
• Assessment of the severity of epidemic and pandemic waves of disease triggered by acute viral infections and further development of the related WHO PISA approach (Pandemic Influenza Severity Assessment Tool)
• Estimate of the influenza excess mortality
• Monitoring of the efficacy of influenza vaccination against seasonal influenza and COVID-19 as part of the European VEBIS study Vaccine effectiveness, Burden and Impact studies
• Further development of digital surveillance approaches based on electronic health data (ICD10 code-based surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), ECDC E-SURE project)
• Integrated end-to-end sentinel surveillance of influenza, RSV infections and COVID-19
• Integrated Molecular Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the Post-Pandemic Era (IMS-SC2, 2022-2025)
• Integrated genomic surveillance of tuberculosis (www.rki.de/imstb)
• DZIF TTU-TB: Pathogen based diagnostics & epidemiology, subproject on the epidemiology of multi-resistant tuberculosis in Germany and Africa (https://www.dzif.de/de/epidemiologie)
• Study on the topic “Energy crisis and population behavior”: Temperature reduction and legionellosis incidence (TESLI)
• Occurrence of virulent legionellosis in hotels associated with travel-associated cases of legionellosis