General PEDISURV project information

Project name

Surveillance of infectious diseases in children by paediatricians and GPs

Project abbreviation

PEDISURV

Project code

HDBP0042

Primary organization that oversees implementation of project

• Sciensano

Partner organization participating in project

• An annual Guidance Committee, composed of various stakeholders (doctors, academics and policy makers) evaluates the operation and proposes possible changes to the list of diseases to be monitored, according to public health priorities.

Organization that commissioned this project

• Agence pour une Vie de Qualité (AVIQ)
• Commission communautaire commune de la région de Bruxelles-Capitale (COCOM)
• Zorg en Gezondheid (ZG)

Organization providing monetary or material support

• Agence pour une Vie de Qualité (AVIQ)
• Commission communautaire commune de la région de Bruxelles-Capitale (COCOM)
• Zorg en Gezondheid (ZG)
• National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (RIZIV-INAMI)

Brief project description

Since October 2002, Sciensano’s Epidemiology of infectious diseases department has coordinated since the surveillance network PediSurv. Approximately 350 clinicians (pediatricians in Belgium and general practitioners in Brussels) participate voluntary in the network and collect monthly demographic, clinical and microbiological data from a series of severe and/or rare infectious diseases in children <15 years of age, including:

• acute weak paralysis (AFP)
• mumps
• congenital rubella syndrome (CRS)
• invasive pneumococcal infections
• measles
• severe cases of whooping cough in children <3 years of age (from 01/06/2021)

The absence of cases is also reported monthly. These zero notifications are essential in the context of international elimination and eradication targets for measles, rubella and poliomyelitis.