The official launch of the European co-funded project CY-ESM (Cyprus Empowered Surveillance Mechanism) took place on Wednesday 26 February 2025 in Limassol, marking the start of a collaboration between national and international actors to strengthen public health in Cyprus. The project aims to create a modern and integrated epidemiological surveillance mechanism for infectious diseases, capable of responding to modern public health challenges.
CY-ESM is a consortium between the Medical and Public Health Services (M&PHS) of the Ministry of Health, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cyprus, the Centre of Excellence for Research and Innovation “KOIOS” and the Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development. The project is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Health’s Health & Welfare Services and the University of Cyprus Medical School, and is co-funded by the EU4Health programme of the European Union for a total amount of €3.5 million.
The meeting presented the strategy and objectives of the project and was attended by representatives from academia, national authorities and European bodies. The Minister of Health, Mr Michael Damianos, and the Rector of the University of Cyprus, Professor Tasos Christofides, addressed the meeting through their representatives. The meeting was also welcomed by the coordinators of the project, Dr. Elizabeth Constantinou, Director of the IY&YDY, Dr. George Nicolopoulos, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cyprus. Also, Dr. Panayiotis Kolios, Assistant Professor at the Department of Informatics, University of Cyprus, representing the Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence “KIOS”.
This was followed by a presentation by a representative of the European Executive Agency for Health and Digital Agenda (HaDEA), who referred to the activities of the Agency and the funded projects of the EU4Health programme. The speech of the representative of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on strategies to strengthen disease surveillance systems in the European Union (EU) Member States was also important, highlighting the crucial role of innovation and advanced surveillance technologies in protecting public health at European level.
The presentations of the members of the CY-ESM research team that followed highlighted the following key points in the implementation of the project:
- The “One Health” approach, which aims to link human, animal and environmental health data to create a holistic surveillance system.
- The full digitisation of surveillance systems, which will allow for the real-time recording and analysis of health data.
- Strengthening cooperation with national and international bodies, which will ensure a more effective response to public health challenges.
- Education and training of health professionals, equipping them with advanced and innovative methods of epidemiological surveillance and data analysis.
- Protecting the health of the population through the implementation of early warning systems and innovative disease surveillance technologies.
For more information about the project, please visit: www.cy-esm.eu
Source: University of Cyprus | Latest news (https://tinyurl.com/34u84zv2)