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 assessed the potential threat to the population of this country, and advised on any protection or control measures that should be initiated to reduce the potential threat to the population's health. It reported to the Chief Medical Officer.

The HPA (Emerging Infections and Zoonoses section) provided scientific support and secretariat to the panel.

The first panel meeting was on 25 November 2003, and there were one to two meetings each year. The final meeting was held in January 2012. 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].