National Expert Panel on New and Emerging Infections

The Chief Medical Officer's Infectious Disease Strategy - Getting Ahead of the Curve - proposed the establishment of "a new national panel which would regularly review any new or emerging infectious diseases reported in this country or from elsewhere in the world. The panel will report to the Department of Health. It will assess the potential threat to the population of this country, and advise on any protection or control measures that should be initiated to reduce the potential threat to the population's health."

The first panel meeting was on 25 November 2003, and there are two meetings each year. Summaries of panel meetings can be found here: Meeting Summaries (external link).

Further information about the panel, including its Terms of Reference and membership, can be found on the Department of Health's NEPNEI pages (external link).

The HPA Centre for Infections provides scientific support and secretariat to the panel.