Event highlights
On 26 February 2026, a webinar on Legionnaires’ disease was held as part of the ongoing project on strengthening national capacities for COVID-19 and other public health emergencies. The session brought together national and international experts to address key aspects of prevention, detection and control of Legionnaires’ disease, highlighting the importance of integrated laboratories and clinical and genomic approaches in strengthening preparedness for public health threats.
Legionnaires’ disease remains a significant public health concern, particularly in the context of respiratory outbreaks and other public health emergencies. Caused by the Legionella bacteria species and primarily transmitted through contaminated water systems, the disease can result in severe pneumonia, outbreaks in community and health-care settings and considerable morbidity and mortality if not rapidly detected and controlled.
Expert presentations
The webinar featured 3 expert presentations covering complementary perspectives.
- The importance of laboratory surveillance within the Legionnaires’ disease control programme
Associate Professor Selin Nar Ötgün from the National Reference Laboratory for Respiratory Pathogens, Directorate of Microbiology Reference Laboratories and Biological Products at the General Directorate of Public Health, emphasized the central role of laboratory-based surveillance in early detection, outbreak investigation and implementation of evidence-based control measures. The presentation underlined the importance of strong national reference laboratory networks and standardized diagnostic capacity. - Clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Legionnaires’ disease
Professor Dr Haluk Erdoğan from the Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, provided a comprehensive overview of the clinical manifestations of Legionnaires’ disease, diagnostic algorithms and current treatment recommendations. Particular attention was given to timely diagnosis, differential diagnosis of severe pneumonia and appropriate antimicrobial therapy. - A global perspective on Legionella: molecular epidemiology and genomic surveillance
Professor Dr Sophie Jarraud, President of the French National Reference Center for Legionella and Co-President of the LEGIOPATH Team at Hospices Civils de Lyon, International Center for Infection Research (CIRI), presented global trends in Legionella surveillance. The session highlighted advances in molecular typing and whole-genome sequencing, demonstrating how genomic surveillance supports outbreak detection, source attribution and international collaboration.
The webinar was moderated by Professor Dr Burçin Şener from Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology; Associate Professor Dr Yasemin Coşgun, Education and Administrative Officer at Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Medical Microbiology Clinic; and Dr Gültekin Ünal, National Professional Officer for Laboratories at the WHO Country Office in Türkiye.
Key outcomes
The session reinforced the importance of:
- strengthening national laboratory and epidemiological surveillance systems;
- improving clinical awareness and case management capacity;
- integrating molecular epidemiology and genomic tools into routine surveillance; and
- embedding Legionella preparedness within broader public health emergency frameworks.
The webinar concluded with an interactive discussion and Q&A session, enabling participants to exchange experiences and discuss practical challenges in surveillance, outbreak response and cross-sectoral coordination.
Target audience
The webinar series is primarily aimed at microbiology specialists, epidemiologists, laboratory professionals, infectious disease clinicians, hospital infection prevention and control professionals, environmental health experts, researchers, including early career researchers, and representatives of national reference laboratories and public health institutions.
About the project and the series
The “Strengthening national capacities against COVID-19 and other public health emergencies” project is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and financed by the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye. The project supports efforts to enhance preparedness, surveillance and response systems, contributing to resilient health systems capable of preventing, detecting and responding to emerging and re-emerging public health threats.
The webinars are conducted in collaboration with the Turkish Society of Microbiology and the Clinical Microbiology Specialist Society (KLIMUD), strengthening professional engagement and technical exchange across the microbiology and infectious disease communities.
In the past 5 months, the webinar series has also addressed key topics such as influenza, tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance, reflecting its comprehensive approach to strengthening national capacities across a range of priority public health threats.
The webinar series forms part of these efforts by promoting technical exchange, dissemination of evidence-based practices and strengthened collaboration at national and international level.
Next session
The next session, scheduled for March 2026, will focus on Candida auris and fungal infections, addressing their growing importance as emerging threats in health-care settings and their implications for infection prevention, laboratory diagnosis and antimicrobial resistance. The series will continue in the coming months with additional priority pathogens and other themes relevant to public health.
Registration
All webinars in the series are free to attend. Advance registration is required and is conducted through the official registration links shared for each session.