CHAPTER III

A network for the epidemiological surveillance of the communicable diseases and of the related special health issues referred to in points (i) and (ii) of point (a) of Article 2(1), is hereby established. The network shall be operated and coordinated by the ECDC. The epidemiological surveillance network shall bring into permanent communication the Commission, the ECDC, and the competent authorities responsible at national level for epidemiological surveillance. The national competent authorities referred to in paragraph 2 shall communicate the following information to the participating authorities of the epidemiological surveillance network: comparable and compatible data and information in relation to the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases and related special health issues referred to in points (i) and (ii) of point (a) of Article 2(1); relevant information concerning the progression of epidemic situations; relevant information concerning unusual epidemic phenomena or new communicable diseases of unknown origin, including those in third countries. When reporting information on epidemiological surveillance, the national competent authorities shall, where available, use the case definitions adopted in accordance with paragraph 5 for each communicable disease and related special health issue referred to in paragraph 1. The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, establish and update: the list of communicable diseases and related special health issues established according to the criteria set out in the Annex and referred to in points (i) and (ii) of point (a) of Article 2(1), in order to ensure coverage of communicable diseases and related special health issues by the epidemiological surveillance network; case definitions concerning each communicable disease and related special health issue subject to epidemiological surveillance, in order to ensure the comparability and compatibility at Union level of the collected data; procedures for the operation of the epidemiological surveillance network as developed in application of Articles 5, 10 and 11 of Regulation (EC) No 851/2004. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 18(2). On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency related to the severity or novelty of a serious cross-border threat to health or to the rapidity of its spread between the Member States, the Commission may adopt the measures referred to in points (a) and (b) through immediately applicable implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 18(3). Following an alert notified pursuant to Article 9 concerning a threat to health as referred to in point (iii) of point (a) of Article 2(1) and in points (b), (c) or (d) of Article 2(1), the Member States shall, in liaison with the Commission and on the basis of the available information from their monitoring systems, inform each other through the EWRS and, if the urgency of the situation so requires, through the HSC about developments with regard to the threat concerned at national level. The information transmitted pursuant to paragraph 1, shall include in particular any change in geographical distribution, spread and severity of the threat concerned and of the means of detection, if available. The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, adopt, where necessary, the case definitions to be used for ad hoc monitoring, in order to ensure the comparability and compatibility at Union level of the collected data. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 18(2). On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency related to the severity of a serious cross-border threat to health or to the rapidity of its spread between the Member States, the Commission may adopt or update the case definitions referred to in the first subparagraph through immediately applicable implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 18(3).

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-06 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.