Policy Development

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One goal of the TropNet activities is to contribute, establish, and (in the long term) standardise pre-travel advice diagnosic and management recommendations concerning tropical diseases within Europe. The Policy Development Platform has been set up in that sense.

Based on the Swiss experience with the ‘Expert Committee for Travel Medicine’ TropNet would be an ideal base to form an “European Evidence-based Recommendation Initiative based on Common sense (EERIC)”. We strongly believe, that a core consensus on many – if not most – travel related health issues is possible, even though highly controversial issues (like malaria chemoprophylaxis) will be out of reach for the near future.

The steps on this long way are as follows:

  1. Identification of identical or very similar recommendations in different countries of Europe;
  2. Definition of consensus finding;
  3. Interaction with EuroTravNet, WHO, ECDC, ENVID, CDC and National Boards;
  4. Tackle malaria and other vector-borne diseases recommendations.

To do the first step we have set up a database of the currently available national recommendations and guidelines (on travel vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, and diagnosis and treatment of tropical and travel-related diseases) used throughout Europe. Access to the document is at the Network Resources page.

TropNet sites are encouraged to support the network by providing up-to-date electronic versions of their national recommendations and guidelines (in English if available, but any language version is welcome).