Plenaries at ESCAIDE 2026
Plenary A: Crises and challenges shaping the landscape of public health: how far we’ve come
Global public health leadership is becoming more distributed. Alongside WHO, regional institutions such as Africa CDC and ECDC are taking on greater responsibility for preparedness, surveillance, and outbreak response, raising pressing questions about how cooperation, equity, and evidence-driven decision-making can be sustained as influence spreads across regions.
Drawing on her experience in vaccinology, innovation, and international coordination, Shingai Machingaidze will reflect on the opportunities this shift brings, while taking into account geopolitical tensions’ effects on data sharing and resources and the potential for deeper collaboration between bodies like Africa CDC and ECDC. The session invites the audience to consider how Europe and global partners can work effectively in a public health landscape shaped by several regional leadership centres, rather than one.
Moderators
Piotr Kramarz
Alicia Barrasa
Speakers
Shingai Machingaidze
Plenary B: The science behind EU health security
Health security in Europe rests on a scientific foundation, including epidemic intelligence, field epidemiology, modelling, and genomic surveillance, that must be embedded within coordination mechanisms before a cross-border threat emerges. When this infrastructure is in place, evidence can shape how quickly a threat is contained; when it isn't, response stalls.
This session examines the conditions under which science can do this work effectively. Geopolitical instability, disinformation, conflict, and fragile supply chains are placing new pressures on Europe's health security systems, while uneven laboratory capacity, workforce shortages, and investment gaps expose persistent weaknesses in preparedness. Drawing on lessons from recent outbreaks, speakers will explore how innovative surveillance, AI, and new analytical tools can support faster, more coordinated decision-making, and what it will take to close capacity gaps and strengthen collaboration without losing strategic leadership when crises hit.
Moderators
Bruno Ciancio
Miłosz Parczewski
Carlos das Neves
Speakers
Gianfranco Spiteri
Helen Brown
Magdalena Rosińska
Plenary C: Communication to (re)build trust in science
Trust in science is increasingly tested during epidemics and pandemics, where misinformation and disinformation spread alongside the outbreak itself. Effective risk communication depends not only on the accuracy of the message, but on how well it is tailored to different audiences and embedded within broader preparedness efforts from the outset, rather than added as an afterthought once a crisis is underway.
This session brings together experts from academia, public health, and health policy to share their experiences navigating mistrust in science and communicating under pressure. A panel discussion will follow, exploring how risk communication can be integrated into preparedness planning, tailored to different audiences, and adapted to today's digitalised media landscape, along with the tools and approaches best suited to different settings.
Moderators
Tyra Grove Krause
Koen Blot
Speakers
Tina D Purnat
Steven van Gucht
Anders Hviid
Plenary D: Learning from data: integrated surveillance of respiratory infections
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limits of siloed disease surveillance and accelerated efforts to build something more integrated. Since then, the EU/EEA has made significant progress in strengthening respiratory virus surveillance, moving toward systems that are harmonised, scalable, and sustainable across influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, rather than treating each threat in isolation.
This plenary will present ECDC's new operational framework and the key improvements it brings to respiratory surveillance across Europe. Experts will showcase advances in multi-source data integration, early threat detection, e-health and electronic health records, and the role of enhanced laboratory networks, including the European Union Reference Laboratories. Drawing on country experiences and practical challenges, the session will offer a forward-looking vision for an integrated, future-ready respiratory surveillance system, along with concrete recommendations for EU/EEA countries.
Moderators
Angeliki Melidou
Nadine Zeitlmann
Speakers
Nick Bundle
John Brownstein
Trine Hessevik Paulsen
Plenary E: Modelling for better public health decisions
Modelling of infectious diseases has become a cornerstone of public health decision-making. Yet using it in a meaningful and responsible way demands more than technical skill alone: it calls for methodological rigour, a grasp of the real-world contexts in which decisions unfold, and careful attention to the ethical implications of how models are built, interpreted, and applied.
This plenary brings together perspectives on innovation, implementation, and ethics to explore what responsible modelling looks like in practice. The session will begin with recent advances in infectious disease modelling, including the growing role of AI and data-intensive approaches, before turning to the realities of applying models in public health decision-making. It will close with a critical look at trust, transparency, and responsibility, identifying practical principles to strengthen the impact and integrity of modelling going forward.
Moderators
José Canevari
Hana Orlíková
Speakers
Moritz Kraemer
Julian Savulescu
Julian Savulescu