What we do
About ROST
Since 2020, the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Public Health Service Rotterdam-Rijnmond, the Viroscience Department at Erasmus MC, the Water Research Institute (KWR), Erasmus University Rotterdam, and the Pandemic Disaster and Preparedness Centre (PDPC) have been working closely together within the Rotterdam Outbreak Study Team (ROST).
The primary goal of ROST is to conduct joint research on public health and infectious disease management in the Rotterdam region, addressing both ongoing outbreaks and potential threats.
ROST aims to enhance knowledge on the early detection of outbreaks, the epidemiology, pathogens involved, and effective control measures. This knowledge is used to promote and protect the health of citizens of Rotterdam and beyond.
ROST meets at least monthly to discuss infectious disease signals from the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region as well as from national and international sources. In the event of a relevant outbreak or potential threat, the team can be rapidly mobilised to initiate structured and effective investigations.
ROST in practice
During outbreak investigations, ROST aims to identify the source of infections, understand the transmission and pathogenesis of the microorganism, chart the course of the outbreak, and evaluate the effectiveness of the infection prevention and control measures deployed. ROST also evaluates potential interventions such as education, intensified surveillance and new surveillance techniques, as well as the impact and effectiveness of other relevant measures.
In periods without major outbreaks, ROST continues to meet regularly to identify potential trends early and strengthen mutual collaboration. Protocols, methodologies, collaborations, and agreements are continually refined to ensure they can be rapidly activated in the event of a major outbreak.
Based on the research, policymakers and other stakeholders can make better-informed decisions and develop more rational response measures that address the needs and challenges revealed by the research.
As outbreaks generally are not restricted to one specific health region, we closely collaborate with other regional and national partners.
Examples of investigations of ROST in recent years include outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2, measles, norovirus, hepatitis A virus, and influenza. In addition, ROST plays an important role in studies involving the use of wastewater for infectious disease surveillance, molecular epidemiology and One Health research. Activities range from identifying the source of the outbreak, documenting outbreak dynamics, assessing the effectiveness of infection prevention measures, gathering new scientific insights, to recording and further investigating outbreaks.
ROST members
Structure of ROST
ROST is a partnership between the Public Health Service Rotterdam-Rijnmond, the Viroscience Department of the Erasmus MC, Water Research Institute (KWR), Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and pandemic and disaster preparedness center (PDPC). ROST works in a fixed composition and meets at least monthly to discuss signals of infectious diseases in the region, nationally, and internationally. In case of outbreaks, ROST can be quickly scaled up.
Members are:
Public Health Service Rotterdam-Rijnmond
Carolien Koop - Epidemiologist
Marlous Prins - Epidemiologist
Hélène Voeten - Epidemiologist and cultural anthropologist
George Sips - Clinical microbiologist
Aimée Tjon-A-Tsien - Public health consultant in infectious disease control
Aiman Ibrahim - Public health physician, Sexual health centre
ErasmusMC, Viroscience
Marion Koopmans - Professor of Public Health Virology
Karin von Eije - PI, Clinical microbiologist in the field of virology
Richard Molenkamp - PI, (Molecular) Virologist
Janko van Beek - Virologist and epidemiologist
Reina Sikkema - PI One Health Virology, Researcher
Bas Oude Munnink - PI Public health genomics, Researcher
Miranda de Graaf - PI Norovirus research group, Associate professor
Putri Ayu Fajar - PhD candidate
KWR Water Research Institute
Gertjan Medema – Professor Water and Health, Principal microbiologist
Leo Heijnen – Molecular methods, Researcher
Goffe Elsinga – Molecular methods, Researcher
Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center
Marion Koopmans - Scientific Director
Anja Schreijer - Medical director
Ted Oliekan - Chief data officer
Tom Oreel - Post-doc
Tim Florschütz - PhD candidate
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management
Roland Bal - Full professor | Health Care Governance (HCG), Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management
Charlotte Waltz - Researcher, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
ROST roadmap
Droplet digital RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 signature mutations of variants of concern in wastewater - ScienceDirect
Prevalence and circulation patterns of SARS-CoV-2 variants in European sewage mirror clinical data of 54 European cities - ScienceDirect
Population-based screening in a municipality after a primary school outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant, the Netherlands, December 2020–February 2021 | PLOS One
Normalisation of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater: The use of flow, electrical conductivity and crAssphage - ScienceDirect
Rise and fall of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Rotterdam: Comparison of wastewater and clinical surveillance - ScienceDirect
Capturing the SARS-CoV-2 infection pyramid within the municipality of Rotterdam using longitudinal sewage surveillance - ScienceDirect
Eurosurveillance | Agile, on-demand wastewater surveillance of virus infections to support pandemic and outbreak response in Rotterdam-Rijnmond, the Netherlands, 2020 to 2022
Circulation, viral diversity and genomic rearrangement in mpox virus in the Netherlands during the 2022 outbreak and beyond - PubMed
Community-based SARS-CoV-2 testing in low-income neighbourhoods in Rotterdam: Results from a pilot study - PubMed
Clinical evaluation of the SD Biosensor SARS-CoV-2 saliva antigen rapid test with symptomatic and asymptomatic, non-hospitalized patients - PubMed
Clinical Evaluation of Roche SD Biosensor Rapid Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 in Municipal Health Service Testing Site, the Netherlands - PubMed
Grote COVID-19 uitbraak met hoge sterfte in een Rotterdams verpleeghuis: uitbraakonderzoek en reflectie op geleerde lessen, Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie
From more testing to smart testing: data-guided SARS-CoV-2 testing choices, the Netherlands, May to September 2020, Eurosurveillance
SARS-CoV-2 in lions, gorillas and zookeepers in the Rotterdam Zoo, the Netherlands, a One Health investigation, November 2021 - PubMed
Uitbraak van een infectieziekte? Deel informatie | medischcontact
Vaccination Did Not Prevent Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 in an Outbreak Among Older Residents of a Nursing Home, B.1.617.2 Variant, July 2021 | Clinical Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic
Introducing a novel “real-time” outbreak alert and notification system to monitor SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and case fatality in elderly care facilities, the Netherlands, 2020–2022 - Abraham Meima, Jane Whelan, Jan Dijks, Nicoline van der Hagen, Marco van Duuren, Aimée Tjon-A-Tsien, 2023
Unraveling the Modes of Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) During a Nursing Home Outbreak: Looking Beyond the Church Superspreading Event - PubMed
Hand hygiene and glove use in nursing homes before and after an intervention - PubMed
Association of environmental surface contamination with hand hygiene and infections in nursing homes: a prospective cohort study - PubMed
