When a Monkeypox laboratory test has been executed, laboratory staff need to record the results in their Laboratory Information System the fields available in the specifications of the Monkeypox LaboratoryTestResult message.

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Content of the message

Structure of Covid Test result message can be used to send us Monkeypox Test result message. In comparison with Covid Test result message, we added 1 extra field: "PrescriberTelephoneNumber".

VARIABLES	DESCRIPTION	Instructions
MessageType	Type of message.	Default value "8" Mandatory
PatientIdentificationNumber	Patient NISS identification number.	Format NISS: 11 numbers; Web service ConsultRn (NL / FR) Validation: modulo97; Mandatory;
FirstNamesPat	The person’s official first names.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
LastNamePat	The person’s official last name.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
Street	Street name of the address.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
HouseNumber	House number of the address.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
HouseNumberLetter	A letter following the house number.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
Postcode	Postcode of the address.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
Municipality	Municipality of residence.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
Country	Country in which the address is located.	Text; Mandatory IF no NISS.
DateOfBirth	Patient’s date of birth. An incomplete date (such as only the year) is permitted.	Format for Date should be "YYYY-MM-DD" ; Mandatory IF no NISS.
Sex	Patient’s administrative sex.	Use valueset SexCodelist; Single select choice; Mandatory IF no NISS.
TelephoneNumberMobilePat	The patient's mobile telephone number.	Text; Mandatory IF sample collection by laboratory.
TelephoneNumberLLPat	The patient's landline telephone number.	Text; Mandatory IF sample collection by laboratory.
HealthProfessionalIdentificationNumberPrescr	The health professional NIHDI identification number of the prescriber.	Format: 8 consecutive numbers, as in COBRHA (NL/FR), and therefore without punctuation marks such as spaces, periods, underscores or hyphen and without the authorization code; Mandatory;
PrescriberTelephoneNumber	The prescriber's telephone number.	Text.
HealthcareProviderIdentificationNumberHosp	The organization’s NIHDI identification number.	Format: 8 consecutive numbers, as in COBRHA (NL/FR), and therefore without punctuation marks such as spaces, periods, underscores or hyphen and without the authorization code; Mandatory IF Hospital;
HealthcareProviderLocation	Campus number of the location where the patient is admitted ("VESTIGINGSNR" / "NUMERO DE SITE" granted by FOD/SPF public health).	Text; Mandatory IF patient is/was admitted on campus of hospital.
DepartmentSpecialty	The specialty of the healthcare provider’s department where patient is admitted.	Use valueset DepartmentSpecialtyCodelist; Single select choice; Optional (only for Hospital).
HealthProfessionalIdentificationNumberDmg	The health professional NIHDI identification number of the DMG / GMD (dossier médical global / Globaal medisch dossier) owner.	Format: 8 consecutive numbers, as in COBRHA (NL/FR), and therefore without punctuation marks such as spaces, periods, underscores or hyphen and without the authorization code; Optional.
CoronaTestPrescriptionCode	Not applicable	Not applicable.
CollectionDateTime1	The date and the time at which the material was collected.	Format for DateTime should be "YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss"; Mandatory.
SpecimenId1	Identification number of the material obtained, as a reference for inquiries to the source organization. In a trans mural setting, this number will consist of a specimen number including the identification of the issuing organization, to be unique outside of the borders of an organization.	Text; Optional.
SpecimenMaterial1	SpecimenMaterial describes the material obtained.	Use valueset "SpecimenMaterialCodelist"; Single select field; Mandatory
TestCode1	The code of the executed test.	Use valueset "TestCodeCodelist"; Single select field; Mandatory.
TestDateTime1	The date and the time at which the test was carried out.	Format for DateTime should be "YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss" ; Mandatory.
TestResult1	The test result.	Use valueset "MPXTestResultCodelist"; Single select field; Mandatory.
ResultFlag1	Attention codes indicating whether the result of a quantitative test is above or below certain reference values.	Use valueset "ResultFlagsCodelistLTR"; Single value field; Optional
TestId1	Unique Identification number of the executed test. This code is unique per executed test.	Text; Mandatory.
CollectionDateTime2	The date and the time at which the material was collected.	Format for DateTime should be "YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss"; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, CollectionDateTime2 is a mandatory field.
SpecimenId2	Identification number of the material obtained, as a reference for inquiries to the source organization. In a transmural setting, this number will consist of a specimen number including the identification of the issuing organization, to be unique outside of the borders of an organization.	Text; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, SpecimenId2 is an optional field.
SpecimenMaterial2	SpecimenMaterial describes the material obtained.	Use valueset "SpecimenMaterialCodelist"; Single select field; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, SpecimenMaterial2 is an mandatory field.
TestCode2	The code of the executed test.	Use valueset "TestCodeCodelist"; Single select field ; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, TestCode2 is a mandatory field.
TestDateTime2	The date and the time at which the test was carried out.	Format for DateTime should be "YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss"; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, TestDateTime2 is a mandatory field.
TestResult2	The test result.	Use valueset "MPXTestResultCodelist"; Single select field; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, TestResult2 is a mandatory field.
ResultFlag2	Attention codes indicating whether the result of a quantitative test is above or below certain reference values.	Use valueset "ResultFlagsCodelistLTR"; Single value field; Optional;
TestId2	Unique Identification number of the executed test. This code is unique per executed test. (Update 18.03.2021)	Text; It is optional to report a second test in one message, but if a second test is reported, TestId2 is a mandatory field.
CollectionDateTime3	The date and the time at which the material was collected.	Format for DateTime should be "YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss"; It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, CollectionDateTime3 is a mandatory field.
SpecimenId3	Identification number of the material obtained, as a reference for inquiries to the source organization. In a transmural setting, this number will consist of a specimen number including the identification of the issuing organization, to be unique outside of the borders of an organization.	Text; It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, SpecimenId3 is an optional field.
SpecimenMaterial3	SpecimenMaterial describes the material obtained.	Use valueset "SpecimenMaterialCodelist"; Single select field; It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, SpecimenMaterial3 is an mandatory field.
TestCode3	The code of the executed test.	Use valueset "TestCodeCodelist"; Single select field ; It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, TestCode3 is a mandatory field.
TestDateTime3	The date and the time at which the test was carried out.	Format for DateTime should be "YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss"; It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, TestDateTime3 is a mandatory field.
TestResult3	The test result.	Use valueset "MPXTestResultCodelist". Single select field. It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, TestResult3 is a mandatory field.
ResultFlag3	Attention codes indicating whether the result of a quantitative test is above or below certain reference values.	Use valueset "ResultFlagsCodelistLTR"; Single value field; Optional; (Update 01.03.2021: NEW FIELD).
TestId3	Unique Identification number of the executed test. This code is unique per executed test. (Update 18.03.2021)	Text; It is optional to report a third test in one message, but if a third test is reported, TestId3 is a mandatory field.
HealthcareProviderIdentificationNumberLab	The NIHDI identification number of the laboratory that executed the test(s).	Format: 8 consecutive numbers, as in COBRHA (NL/FR), and therefore without punctuation marks such as spaces, periods, underscores or hyphen and without the authorization code; Mandatory.

Translations

VARIABLES	DESCRIPTION	NL	FR
PatientIdentificationNumber	Patient NISS identification number	INSZ identificatienummer van de patiënt	Numéro d'identification NISS du patient
FirstNamesPat	The person’s official first names	Officiële voornamen van de persoon	Prénoms officiels de la personne
LastNamePat	The person’s official last name	Officiële achternaam van de persoon	Nom de famille officiel de la personne
Street	Street name of the address	Straatnaam van het adres	Nom de rue de l'adresse
HouseNumber	House number of the address	Huisnummer van het adres	Numéro de maison de l'adresse
HouseNumberLetter	A letter following the house number	Een alfabetisch teken achter het huisnummer	Une lettre suivant le numéro de maison
Postcode	Postcode of the address	Postcode van het adres	Code postal de l'adresse
Municipality	Municipality of residence	Gemeente van inschrijving	Municipalité de résidence
Country	Country in which the address is located	Land waar het adres zich bevindt	Pays dans lequel l'adresse est située
DateOfBirth	Patient’s date of birth. An incomplete date (such as only the year) is permitted	Geboortedatum van de patiënt. Onvolledige datum (bv alleen jaar) is toegestaan	Date de naissance du patient. Une date incomplète (telle que seulement l'année) est autorisée
Sex	Patient’s administrative sex	Administratief geslacht van de patiënt	Sexe administratif du patient
TelephoneNumberMobilePat	The patient's mobile telephone number	Mobiel telefoonnummer van de patiënt	Le numéro de téléphone portable du patient
TelephoneNumberLLPat	The patient's landline telephone number	Vast telefoonnummer van de patiënt	Le numéro de téléphone fixe du patient
HealthProfessionalIdentificationNumberPrescr	The health professional NIHDI identification number of the prescriber	Het RIZIV-identificatienummer van de voorschrijver	Le numéro d'identification INAMI du prescripteur
PrescriberTelephoneNumber	The telephone number of the prescriber	Het telefoonnummer van de voorschrijver	Le numéro de téléphone du prescripteur
HealthcareProviderIdentificationNumberHosp	The organization’s (hospital) NIHDI identification number	Het RIZIV-identificatienummer van de organisatie (ziekenhuis)	Le numéro d'identification INAMI de l'organisation (Hôpital)
HealthcareProviderLocation	Campus number of the location where the patient is admitted	Campusnummer van de locatie van de zorgorganisatie waar de patiënt is opgenomen	Numéro de site de l'emplacement de l'organisation de soins où le patient est admis
DepartmentSpecialty	The specialty of the healthcare provider’s department where patient is admitted	Het specialisme van de betrokken afdeling van de zorgaanbieder waar de patiënt is opgenomen	La spécialité du département impliqué dans la prestation de soins de santé où le patient est admis
HealthProfessionalIdentificationNumberDmg	The health professional NIHDI identification number of the DMG owner	Het RIZIV-identificatienummer van de GMD houder	Le numéro d'identification INAMI du titulaire du DMG
CoronaTestPrescriptionCode	Not applicable	Niet van toepassing	Non applicable
CollectionDateTime1	The date and the time at which the material was collected Mandatory	De datum en het tijdstip van afname van het materiaal	La date et l'heure où le matériel a été collecté
SpecimenId1	Identification number of the material obtained, as a reference for inquiries to the source organization. In a transmural setting, this number will consist of a specimen number including the identification of the issuing organization, to be unique outside of the borders of an organization.	Identificerend nummer van het afgenomen materiaal, ter referentie voor navraag bij bronorganisatie. In de transmurale setting bestaat dit nummer uit een monsternummer inclusief de identificatie van de uitgevende organisatie, om uniek te zijn buiten de grenzen van een organisatie.	Numéro d'identification du matériel obtenu, comme référence pour les demandes de renseignements à l'organisation source. Dans un cadre transmural, ce numéro consistera en un numéro d'échantillon, comprenant l'identification de l'organisation émettrice, qui sera unique en dehors des frontières d'une organisation.
SpecimenMaterial1	SpecimenMaterial describes the material obtained.	SpecimenMaterial beschrijft het afgenomen materiaal.	SpecimenMaterial décrit le matériau obtenu.
TestCode1	The code of the executed test	De code van de uitgevoerde test	Le code du test effectué
TestDateTime1	The date and the time at which the test was carried out (completed and validated)	De datum en tijdstip waarop de test uitgevoerd is (voltooid en gevalideerd)	La date et l'heure à laquelle le test a été effectué (complété et validé)
TestResult1	The test result. If not done or indeterminate, report as unknown.	Het resultaat van de test. Indien niet uitgevoerd Specimen niet geschikt voor analyse.	Le résultat du test. Si pas effectué remplissez Echantillon ne convient pas à l'analyse.
TestId1	Unique Identification number of the executed test	Uniek identificatienummer van de uitgevoerde test	Numéro d'identification unique du test exécuté
CollectionDateTime2	The date and the time at which the material was collected	De datum en het tijdstip van afname van het materiaal	La date et l'heure où le matériel a été collecté
SpecimenId2	Identification number of the material obtained, as a reference for inquiries to the source organization. In a transmural setting, this number will consist of a specimen number including the identification of the issuing organization, to be unique outside of the borders of an organization.	Identificerend nummer van het afgenomen materiaal, ter referentie voor navraag bij bronorganisatie. In de transmurale setting bestaat dit nummer uit een monsternummer inclusief de identificatie van de uitgevende organisatie, om uniek te zijn buiten de grenzen van een organisatie.	Numéro d'identification du matériel obtenu, comme référence pour les demandes de renseignements à l'organisation source. Dans un cadre transmural, ce numéro consistera en un numéro d'échantillon, comprenant l'identification de l'organisation émettrice, qui sera unique en dehors des frontières d'une organisation.
TestCode2	The code of the executed test	De code van de uitgevoerde test	Le code du test effectué
TestDateTime2	The date and the time at which the test was carried out (completed and validated)	De datum en het tijdstip waarop de test uitgevoerd is (voltooid en gevalideerd)	La date et l'heure à laquelle le test a été effectué (complété et validé)
TestResult2	The test result. If not done or indeterminate, report as unknown.	Het resultaat van de test. Indien niet uitgevoerd Specimen niet geschikt voor analyse.	Le résultat du test. Si pas effectué remplissez Echantillon ne convient pas à l'analyse.
TestId2	Unique Identification number of the executed test	Uniek identificatienummer van de uitgevoerde test	Numéro d'identification unique du test exécuté
CollectionDateTime3	The date and the time at which the material was collected	De datum en het tijdstip van afname van het materiaal	La date et l'heure où le matériel a été collecté
SpecimenId3	Identification number of the material obtained, as a reference for inquiries to the source organization. In a transmural setting, this number will consist of a specimen number including the identification of the issuing organization, to be unique outside of the borders of an organization.	Identificerend nummer van het afgenomen materiaal, ter referentie voor navraag bij bronorganisatie. In de transmurale setting bestaat dit nummer uit een monsternummer inclusief de identificatie van de uitgevende organisatie, om uniek te zijn buiten de grenzen van een organisatie.	Numéro d'identification du matériel obtenu, comme référence pour les demandes de renseignements à l'organisation source. Dans un cadre transmural, ce numéro consistera en un numéro d'échantillon, comprenant l'identification de l'organisation émettrice, qui sera unique en dehors des frontières d'une organisation
TestCode3	The code of the executed test	De code van de uitgevoerde test	Le code du test effectué
TestDateTime3	The date and the time at which the test was carried out (completed and validated)	De datum en het tijdstip waarop de test uitgevoerd is (voltooid en gevalideerd)	La date et l'heure à laquelle le test a été effectué (complété et validé)
TestResult3	The test result. If not done or indeterminate, report as unknown.	Het resultaat van de test. Indien niet uitgevoerd Specimen niet geschikt voor analyse.	Le résultat du test. Si pas effectué remplissez Echantillon ne convient pas à l'analyse.
TestId3	Unique Identification number of the executed test	Uniek identificatienummer van de uitgevoerde test	Numéro d'identification unique du test exécuté
HealthcareProviderIdentificationNumberLab	The lab’s NIHDI identification number	Het RIZIV nummer van het labo	Le numéro d'identification INAMI du laboratoire

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B. Valuesets

• MPXTestResultCodelist
• DepartmentSpecialtyCodelist
• SexCodelist
• ResultFlagsCodelistLTR
• SpecimenMaterialCodelist
• TestCodeCodelist

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C. Points of attention

• In case the patient has a NISS or a NISS Bis number, the regular address information, date of birth and gender should not be provided. This information is available at the Monkeypox central database, through ConsultRN.
• In case the patient has no NISS or a NISS Bis number, a NISS should be created using the ConsultRN integration in EMD or HIS:
  • https://www.ehealth.fgov.be/ehealthplatform/nl/service-rrconsult-webservices
  • https://www.ehealth.fgov.be/ehealthplatform/fr/service-rnconsult-services-web
  • This is also the case for foreign tourists.
    • In that case, the address information of his / her stay in BELGIUM should be recorded in the LaboratoryTestResult form.
    • As for the field “Country”, the country of permanent residence should be recorded in the LaboratoryTestResult form.
• In case the patient is a minor (child), one of the parents, guardian or legal representative, should be provided as first contact person to (“FirstNamesContp1”; “LastNameContp1”; “TelephoneNumberMobileContp1”).

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D. Destinations

The completed Monkeypox LaboratoryTestResult form should be transferred directly to the:
• MPX Laboratory Test Result Database
• Prescribing general practitioner, or
• Physician responsible for the Globaal Medisch Dossier (GMD) / Dossier Médical Global (DMG), If patient has one.

The transfer methods available for the message LaboratoryTestResult form are described in the "Technical guidelines".

A. Content of the messages

• The MPX Data Collection Definition (HDBP0277): LaboratoryTestResult

Valuesets

• MPXTestResultCodelist
• DepartmentSpecialtyCodelist
• SexCodelist
• ResultFlagsCodelistLTR
• SpecimenMaterialCodelist
• TestCodeCodelist

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• In case the patient has a NISS or a NISS Bis number, the regular address information, date of birth and gender should not be provided.
• In case the patient has no NISS or a NISS Bis number, a NISS should be created using the ConsultRN integration in EMD or HIS:
  • https://www.ehealth.fgov.be/ehealthplatform/nl/service-rrconsult-webservices
  • https://www.ehealth.fgov.be/ehealthplatform/fr/service-rnconsult-services-web
  • This is also the case for foreign tourists.
    • In that case, the address information of his / her stay in BELGIUM should be recorded in the form.
    • As for the field “Country”, the country of permanent residence should be recorded in the form.
• In case the patient is a minor (child), one of the parents, guardian or legal representative, should be provided as first contact person to (“FirstNamesContp1”; “LastNameContp1”; “TelephoneNumberMobileContp1”).

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B. Format of the requested file

B.1. JAVASCRIPT OBJECT NOTATION (JSON)

Every requested field has to be provided also the optional fields, even when the values are missing or false. The reason is that this way every record will have the same structure. Although this is not necessary, this assures us that the field names are correctly spelled. If we do not find a field, we will know something is wrong and we can act upon this.
The structure of the record is completely flattened and this is done on purpose. This makes it easier and more transparent to load the data in a database and compare the original record with the result programmatically.

Here, you can find the link to an example of the “LaboratoryTestResult” in JSON format:

• https://fair.healthdata.be/dataset/0cbd46f5-a056-40ce-bf38-b132798b78cd

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Name of the JSON message

We kindly ask you to use following names for the JSON messages:

• RIZIVnrSender_LaboratoryTestResult_yymmddhhmmss

Points of attention

• Multiple records can be included in a .json file.
• All records should have exactly the same structure (missing values and ‘false’ have to be present also).

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B.2. Comma-Separated Values (CSV)

Every requested field has to be provided, including the optional fields, even when the values are missing or false. The reason is that this way every record will have the same structure. In a csv containing more than 1 record this has of course be the case. This way the complete csv can be treated as one table.

Here, you can find the link to an example of the “LaboratoryTestResult” in CSV format:

Example of message “LaboratoryTestResult” in CSV format:

• https://fair.healthdata.be/dataset/0cbd46f5-a056-40ce-bf38-b132798b78cd

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Name of the CSV messages

We kindly ask you to use following names for the csv files:

• RIZIVnrSender_LaboratoryTestResult_yymmddhhmmss

Points of attention

• A csv can contain multiple records.
• All records should have exactly the same structure (missing values and ‘false’ have to be present also).

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C. Description of the transportation methods

C.1. sFTP

You can send us the requested files directly to our SFTP server. We need you to give us information so we can set it up specifically for your organization. You can do this by sending a mail to covid19lab.healthdata@sciensano.be.

The mail has to contain:

• Organization name
• Email address of the person of your organization who will receive
  • the account information
  • the public key to use when authenticating
  • a document describing the connection information
  • a test file that we would like you to send to our SFTP server

Points of attention

We have to be sure that the complete file has arrived before reading the file. We propose to do this by means of another file with the same name as the file with the data but with extension ‘ok’. You have to send this ‘.ok’ file after sending the file with the data. This way we know which files are ready for integration.

• The encoding of the file is expected to be in UTF-8.

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Software solutions for Laboratories

• Amaron kan voor intramurale laboratoria zijn EAI inschakelen om bv HL7-ORU berichten om te zetten naar het gewenste Sciensano-bestand (met LOINC mapping indien code beschikbaar) en ook een koppeling maken die mappings van bepaalde velden naar SNOMED-CT toepast en het bericht in het juiste formaat zet en klaarzet voor verzending (of zelf verzenden, TBD per labo). Contact = Frederik Lenaerts frederik@amaron.be +32 495 46 57 73
• Cegeka Corlabs: intramural laboratories are advised to contact the IT department of their hospital. Extramural laboratories can contact Cegeka for advice.
• MIPS informed their clients about the possibilities to extract the necessary statistics from the GLIMS application to create the LaboratoryTestResult message. Monday 4.05.2020, additional information will be available for their clients in the helpdesk portal.
• Moonchase lab-online: u Moonchase can provide a Lab Online plug-in allowing extraction of test results from the database and uploading them to Sciensano in the required format.
• Molis: update will follow
• MyBox: HealthConnect provides laboratories with software to manage their eHealthBox: Unified Messaging Module. The application has a graphical interface (MyBox) that allows users within the organization to receive and send messages, as well as create, send & receive structured eForms forms. NL / FR.
• Nexuzhealth nv will provide the LaboratoryTestResult form both LIS UZ Leuven or (secundary) from Nexuzhealth HLI lab result server (if not possible from local LIMS of customer).

General description of the application UM-EM

User manual of the application UM-EM

Technical manual of the application UM-EM

Support services UM-EM

Local manager of UM-EM

Service and Support portal of healthdata.be (Sciensano)

General description of the eHealth TTP service

User manual of the eHealth TTP service

Technical manual of the eHealth TTP service

Support services eHealth TTP service

Support portal of eHealth

General description of the application eHBox

User manual of the application eHBox

Technical manual of the application eHBox

Support services eHBox

Local manager of eHBox

Support portal of eHealth

General description of the application eHBox client

User manual of the application eHBox client

Technical manual of the application eHBox client

Support services eHBox client

Local manager of eHBox client

Support portal of healthdata.be (Sciensano)

The healthdata.be service (Sciensano) processes each incident report according to a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). A public version of this SOP "HD Incident Management Process" is also available on this portal docs.healthdata.be.

To submit an incident related to projects and applications in production and facilitated or managed by Sciensano's healthdata.be service, you must first log into the HD Service and Support portal: https://sciensano.service-now.com/sp.

After the login step, you will arrive at the main page of the portal.

On the main page, you must select "Get Help".

A new page with the title "Create an incident" will appear.

You can now document your incident or problem by providing the following information:

Please indicate the urgency of resolving your issue based on its criticality to the business.

Please indicate the type of problem you are experiencing.

When the problem type "Application" is selected, two additional fields appear: "Project Name" and "Application".

Please select the appropriate information.

Please describe clearly and briefly (1 sentence) the subject of your problem.

Please describe the problem in detail. The following aspects are important for us to understand and solve the problem:

• a description of the actions you want to perform but fail to perform (e.g. provide us with a field name, a validation rule, a button, etc.)
• a description (if possible) of the sequential steps you follow to use the service or the application of healthdata.be for which you need support;
• a brief description of the technical problem you are experiencing (e.g. error messages)

We strongly recommend that you add a screenshot describing the problem (IMPORTANT: do not provide us with patient data!).

You can add the screenshot by clicking on "Add attachments".

On the right side of the form, the mandatory information items of the incident form are listed. When these fields are completed, their names disappear from the "required information" box.

The form can only be submitted if all required fields are filled in, by pressing the green "Submit" button.

If all required fields have not been completed, a warning message will appear at the top of the form.

In addition, missing mandatory fields will be highlighted in green.

When the incident form has been successfully submitted, a preview of your submission appears in a new screen.

On the right side of the screen you will find the details, including the incident number.

On the left side of the screen, you will find a chronology of your incident processing, starting with your creation.

To request information about the healthdata.be platform, you first need to log in to the HD Service and Support portal: https://sciensano.service-now.com/sp.

Om informatie op te vragen over het healthdata.be platform, moet u eerst inloggen op het HD Service- en Supportportaal.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Sciensano blocks e-mails from organizations if the configuration of their e-mail and/or DNS services allow potential abuse by spammers/attackers. More specifically, if the configuration enables other senders to impersonate your organisation by allowing them to mimic your organization’s e-mail “Header From”.

In other words, they can send phishing and spam mails that cannot be distinguished from genuine mails from your organization.

If you’re responsible for managing your ICT infrastructure, keep reading. If not, pass this message on to your ICT department or to the ICT service that’s managing your ICT infrastructure.

HOW TO SOLVE IT?

You’ll have to verify that your configuration complies with “Sender Alignment” security requirements.
More specifically, your mail services and DNS will have to be configured according to ICT standards.

These configurations are common, well-documented and supported by hosting companies. Some useful links:

• https://dmarcian.com/alignment/
• https://mxtoolbox.com/dmarc/spf/spf-alignment
• https://o365info.com/how-does-sender-verification-work-how-we-identify-spoof-mail-the-fiveheros-spf-dkim-dmarc-exchange-and-exchange-online-protection-part-9-of-9/

We’ve noticed that this issue frequently occurs in organizations which moved their ICT infrastructure to cloud services such as Microsoft (O365), Amazon, Google, and MS Azure without properly configuring the ICT infrastructure which is not managed by these providers.

The configurations and recommendations need to be implemented on the customer’s ICT infrastructure, either internally or externally. DNS and Mail services are the main ICT platforms for these actions.

THE USE OF DIFFERENT DOMAINS IN THE MAIL SENDING PROCESS

E-mails contain an “Envelope From” and a “Header From”. Both need to match to avoid that the mail is blocked.

Some examples:

1. A public service is using its new domain name in the “Header From” and its old domain name in the “Envelope From”.

• Envelope From = noreply@publicservice.fgov.be
• Header From = noreply@publicservice.belgium.be

➔ These e-mails will be blocked.

Remark: Because it’s a noreply address, the sender will not even be aware of us rejecting the e-mail …

2. An organization is using a cloud service (Freshservice) for its helpdesk tool and the “Envelope From” has not been customised.

• EnvelopeFrom = bounces+us.3.52773-helpdesk=organisation.be@emailus.freshservice.com
• Header From = helpdesk@organisation.be

➔ These e-mails will be blocked.

3. A company uses a cloud service (Amazon SES) to send the delivery notification and the “Envelope From” has not been customized.

• Envelope From = 01020188573f374-96de6437-9134-45f4-8aa6-3e9ac18d5848-000000@euwest-1.amazonses.com
• Header From = noreply@company.be

➔ These e-mails will be blocked.