Review of seroepidemiology unit focused on infrastructure

An ongoing review of the seroepidemiology unit (SEU) in the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) will inform a “shift” towards prioritising infrastructural development, a HSE spokesperson has said.

Last November, the Medical Independent (MI) reported that the SEU was under review amid funding and staffing pressures. At the time, the HSE stated that the operation of the SEU was paused. It said the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, public health reforms, and regionalisation, had necessitated a review of SEU priorities. The Executive outlined that essential SEU work would continue within the HSE and with partners.

In January 2026, a meeting of the cross-departmental one health oversight committee heard that due to the “challenging flu season” the review team had been “temporarily” limited in progressing its work. The committee was told this work was expected to resume in early February.

This month, the HSE informed MI the review was “ongoing” and included the identification of lessons learned from previous emergency responses. The process has already informed a shift towards prioritising the development of the infrastructure required to support the serosurveillance function in the health service.

“This work is being undertaken in collaboration with key partners to ensure a coordinated and sustainable approach…. This direction reinforces the HSE’s commitment to establishing a robust, structured, and collaborative infrastructure to support an effective and sustainable national serosurveillance function.”

In 2021, the Department of Health commissioned the HPSC to establish a new national serosurveillance function. The national serosurveillance programme is managed by the SEU within the HPSC.

Serosurveillance is the testing of blood samples for the presence of antibodies against a particular disease, due to past infection or vaccination, in the general population. It provides information to public health policymakers for the planning of vaccination programmes and other preventive activities.