The Vulnerability Scan, a Web Tool to Increase Institutional Biosecurity Resilience.

The importance of vigilance within organizations working with high-risk biological material receives increasing attention. However, an in-depth and comprehensive tool, dedicated to increase awareness of potential risks and to assess an organization's current biosecurity vulnerabilities, has not been available yet. We developed the "Biosecurity Vulnerability Scan," a web tool that identifies biosecurity gaps in an organization based on eight biosecurity pillars of good practice.

Ebola Preparedness in the Netherlands: The Need for Coordination Between the Public Health and the Curative Sector.

Context: During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2015, close cooperation between the curative sector and the public health sector in the Netherlands was necessary for timely identification, referral, and investigation of patients with suspected Ebola virus disease (EVD).

Objective: In this study, we evaluated experiences in preparedness among stakeholders of both curative and public health sectors to formulate recommendations for optimizing preparedness protocols. Timeliness of referred patients with suspected EVD was used as indicator for preparedness.

Choosing pandemic parameters for pandemic preparedness planning: a comparison of pandemic scenarios prior to and following the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic.

Background: Mathematical models are used to explore various possible scenarios with regard to an influenza pandemic. We studied the ranges of parameter values in modelling studies on preparedness prior to 2009 in relation to the estimated parameter values of the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic.

Methods And Findings: We conducted two systematic literature searches, one aimed at epidemic parameter values that were used in pre-2009 pandemic influenza models, and the other aimed at estimates of epidemic variables from data collected during the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic.

Strengthening the diagnostic capacity to detect Bio Safety Level 3 organisms in unusual respiratory viral outbreaks.

Background: Experience with a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the Netherlands (2003) illustrated that the diagnostic demand for respiratory viruses at different biosafety levels (including BSL3), can increase unexpectedly and dramatically.

Objectives: We describe the measures taken since, aimed at strengthening national laboratory surge capacity and improving preparedness for dealing with diagnostic demand during outbreaks of (emerging) respiratory virus infections, including pandemic influenza virus.

Study Design: Academic and peripheral medical-microbiological laboratories collaborated to determine minimal laboratory requirements for the identification of viruses in the early stages of a pandemic or a large outbreak of avian influenza virus.