The MISUPH project (Modern Improvement Surveillance for Ukrainian Public Health) is an initiative led by the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (PHC) within the framework of the European Union’s EU4Health programme. It aims to establish an efficient, modern digital surveillance system for infectious diseases in Ukraine.
The MISUPH project runs from 2024 to 2027 and has a total budget of €3,099,912, with a maximum EU’s financial contribution of €2,479,930.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for rapid detection, analysis, and response to infectious disease outbreaks. Hence, the MISUPH project focuses on several areas:
· Implementation of an Electronic Surveillance System (ESS), a unified system that provides centralized collection of information on infectious, occupational, and acute respiratory viral diseases (ARVI). The system’s functionality allows monitoring of non-specific clinical manifestations, syndromes, symptoms, laboratory tests, and the impact of environmental pathogens on the development of diseases.
The ESS supports a comprehensive approach to data collection and processing, including:
- Analysis of common cases of diseases
- Detailed study of individual clinical cases
- Data aggregation with the possibility to create samples
- Processing of laboratory tests related to specific cases
The ESS is effectively used at the regional and national levels. It allows combining data into a single set and responding promptly to changes in the epidemiological situation within the country.
· Enhancing Parasitic Disease Surveillance—The MISUPH project will develop technical guidelines for the surveillance of parasitic diseases, develop training materials, and conduct training sessions for specialists from regional centers for disease control and prevention.
· Strengthening STI Surveillance—The project will modernize the system for detecting and monitoring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and deliver targeted training for healthcare professionals, including dermatovenerologists, family doctors, and other specialists.
· Integration of the One Health approach, which considers the relationship between human, animal, and environmental health. The MISUPH project strengthens cooperation between the PHC and the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection to improve the detection of zoonoses, infections spreading from animals to humans, and the response to these infections. The parties have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the exchange of relevant data and cooperation.
As part of the MISUPH project, a working group on improving infectious disease surveillance has been established within the PHC. The group includes experts from the PHC, scientific institutions, regional CDCs, and international organizations working in this field.
Key Contributions of the MISUPH Project to the Surveillance System:
● Digital transformation
● Expansion of surveillance for previously underestimated disease groups
● Standardized approaches and technical guidelines for reliable data collection, processing, and analysis
● Capacity building for specialists at the regional and national levels
● Strengthened cross-sectoral and interagency cooperation
By implementing the MISUPH project, Ukraine is strengthening its public health system and integrating into the European surveillance network. This is an important step towards European integration and strengthening overall health security in the region, as infectious threats do not recognize national borders.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.