Advancing research on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of post-infection long-term conditions

Expected Outcome:This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed at, tailored towards and contributing to all the following expected outcomes:All players along the healthcare value chain have access to evidence-based treatment and management strategies for post-infection conditions and improve patient recovery and quality of life across diverse populations.Public health authorities and healthcare practitioners have access to effective prevention, diagnostic and treatment tools, ensuring better allocation of healthcare resources.Healthcare systems improve their efficiency and reduce long-term economic burdens by streamlining post-infectious disease care and addressing disparities in healthcare access.Public health authorities have access to evidence-based information to integrate research findings into policy for improved public health preparedness and resilience, including training of healthcare staff and enhanced long-term disease management guidelines. Scope:Microbial infections can lead to long-lasting consequences on patients’ quality of life, leading to long-term conditions characterised by persistent inflammation, organ damage, and impaired functional capacity, which pose a growing public health and economic challenge. These conditions are insufficiently understood, underdiagnosed, and lack effective treatments. Advancing research into their prevention, treatment and management is essential to improving patient outcomes, reducing healthcare burdens, and strengthening workforce productivity.The topic is open to long-term conditions resulting from infections by any type of microorganism (including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi), which persist after the initial infection has been resolved. Research linked to cancer is excluded as it will be co