With the increasing threat of zoonoses—infectious diseases originating from animals, also due to environmental factors—it is particularly important that data be comparable and shareable across human, animal and environmental disciplines. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been tasked by the European Commission to collect, analyse and visualise the results from the surveillance activities concerning cross-border pathogens that threaten Europe carried out within the 2022 EU4Health using the One Health approach.
Thanks to the EHDS and the standardization of data, the same format for zoonosis-related microbiology data can be used across veterinary and human laboratories and public health authorities. Additionally, using the same data format, infection detection algorithms can be shared across different organizations.
Document Version: V1.0
Responsible Party: xShare WP4
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As-Is Situation
All countries collect data according to local procedures. No common format for laboratory data across human and veterinary laboratories exists. EFSA has established a European Reporting guidance for the One Health surveillance data collection using the Standard Sample Description (SSD2) data model
Currently available products/services and its vendors
For countries reporting to EFSA, data is submitted according to the One Health surveillance data collection protocol by EFSA . Laboratory data for One Health surveillance are reported using the SSD2 data model, and submitted via XML through the Data Collection Framework (DCF) in line with EFSA’s Data Exchange Guidance (GDE2).The SIGMA EST mapping tool helps mapping data to the SSD2 format.
Which health-related standard does your organisation uses and its alignment to the EEHRxF?
EEHRxF laboratory data, microbiology specific terminology, SSD2 format for describing food and feed samples and analytical results that is used by EFSA’s data providers
Actors/Users and their Roles
| Veterinary laboratories | Detect infections and send data to relevant local public health authorities using EEHRxF |
| Local/National Public health authorities | Receive data in EEHRxF and send them to national or international authorities e.g. European Public Health authorities (e.g. EFSA) |
| EFSA | Receives high quality data in EEHRxF compliant format |
User Perspective
Veterinary laboratories can collect data in a standard EEHRxF compliant format and share them with national and international competent authorities without further data transformation.
System Perspective
The same EEHRxF format is used across veterinary laboratories and relevant public health systems to improve real-time availability of data. The same format is also shared by human microbiology laboratories
Health Information Domain(s) – HIDs:
- Laboratory
Scenarios for the xShare Yellow Button
| HIDs | xShare Yellow Button basic functionality | Maturity | |||
| Download | One-time share | Linked options | Start TRL | End TRL | |
| Laboratory | x | 0 | 0 | ||
National/regional strategy
National public health authorities are enabled to receive and send data according to the EEHRxF without performing data transformation before submitting data to the European One Health surveillance networks, Real-time monitoring and comparison of infection outbreaks with human microbiology laboratories is possible because they all share the same format.
Strategy towards EHDS
Support the secondary use of data. Exploit the EEHRxF to apply “only once” strategies to reduce data delay and maintain data quality in the transmission of data across laboratories and to public health authorities.
Business Goals/Benefits and KPIs
Create one EEHRxF-compliant data model for information on zoonotic infections for the data defined by the data used in EFSA’s One Health surveillance data to
- Enable “only once” strategies across laboratories and to public health authorities
- Obtain faster outbreak detection
- Enable efficient joint analysis of data for real-time monitoring
KPIs
- Number of veterinary laboratories adopting the format
- Number of submission of EEHRxF compliant data to the One Health surveillance system by EFSA
Application
Import/Export functionalities for EEHRxF data for laboratory data
Data Preconditions
A common EEHRxF-compliant IPS+R data model concerning laboratory data for OneHealth data is available
System Preconditions
Systems should be enabled to receive and send data in EEHRxF format
User Preconditions
Capability to receive and send laboratory data in EEHRxF format
Trigger
Detection of pathogens in animals that pose a cross-border public health threat.
Challenges/Limitations
Enable EFSA systems to receive EEHRxF laboratory data
Involved stakeholders in the BUC definition
Charité, EHTEL, Sciensano
Application of pseudonymisation filters
No
Basic Workflow
- Zoonoses data are collected in veterinary and human laboratories using the EEHRxF
- Data are sent to local/national health authorities
- Possible outbreaks are detected, and the responsible livestock reservoir is identified immediately.
- National authorities laboratory data can share data in One Health European Networks
- Real-time monitoring of zoonotic infections is possible at national/regional and international level
