Communicable Diseases

European Immunization Week 2013: Prevent - Protect - Immunize

As the European Immunization Week unfolds (22-27 April 2013), it is worth to re-emphasise immunization as a cost-effective public health preventive measure. It is particularly true in times of economic crisis and public spending cuts affecting essential health services needed to prevent the re-emergence of communicable diseases in Europe (and elsewhere). On an annual basis, for one week in April, all countries across the European Region unite under the European Immunization Week’s (...)

[Save the Date] Third Flu Summit of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESI)

The third annual Flu Summit organised by EPHA member the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza will take place on 2 May 2013 in Brussels. It will be an opportunity to learn about and discuss with experts issues such as pandemic preparedness, new influenza target groups, and vaccination strategies. This year’s edition focuses on new developments and challenges in the influenza field, with special attention for discussions on safety and effectiveness of influenza vaccines. (...)

Health improves unequally within and among European countries

Every three years the World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes its report on European Health. This year its report has a special focus on well-being. "The European Health Report 2012: Charting the Way to Well-Being", released by the WHO Regional Office for Europe on March 13, reveals some bitter-sweet data: even if there have been important health improvements in the European Region, the inequities across and within the countries are persistent. According to the WHO Regional Director for (...)

Preventing global non-communicable diseases through low carbon development

Both non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and climate change are enormous threats to global health - synergies attempting to tackle these major health threats have received limited attention to date. The increasing burden of NCDs poses an enormous threat to populations and health systems across the globe. At the same time, the impacts of climate change are predicted to have profound public health effects and there is an urgent need for transition to low-carbon economies. Although important (...)

Council of the EU discusses Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health

The Council of the EU configuration for Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers (EPSCO) met on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 December 2012. During its deliberations, it discussed the European Commission’s proposal for a Decision on serious cross-border threats to health, which is currently awaiting adoption by the full plenary of the European Parliament. The Commission proposal seeks to extend the mandate of the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) to cover all serious (...)

EPHA position on General Data Protection Regulation

EPHA’s position on the General Data Protection Regulation highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the existing proposal from the perspective of the health community and lays out the key provisions in protecting patient safety, individual rights and public health. The European Commission (EC) is currently reviewing its existing legal framework on data protection to ensure that the rules are fit for dealing with increasingly complex and sophisticated developments in technology and (...)

EPHA public statement ahead of Commissioner-designate Borg hearing at the European Parliament

In light of the concerns expressed by several civil society organisations over the designation of Malta’s Dr Tonio Borg for the Health and Consumer (DG SANCO) portfolio, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) would like to raise questions regarding Dr Borg’s political record. EPHA also expresses its confidence in the European Parliament to fulfil its duty of democratic scrutiny in the hearing with Dr Borg on 13 November, and calls on the European Commission to, regardless of (...)

European Parliament Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee adopts report on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) report

The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee voted on Tuesday 6 November to adopt an own initiative report on the microbial challenge. . The draft report was written by Anna Rosbach MEP (ECR, Denmark) and received recommendations last month in an opinion from the Agriculture Committee. Adopted by 62 votes to 0, the final draft of the ENVI report makes amendments in several areas including: An emphasis on the ’One Health’ principle of treating health as part of a larger (...)

*Updated* EPHA briefing on Antimicrobial Resistance

As consumption of antimicrobials has increased, the natural processes of adaptation and mutation have resulted in new, resistant strains of common diseases. Unresponsive to traditional treatments, these pose a major threat to public health, as demonstrated by the proliferation of regional and global pandemics. EPHA has updated its briefing on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) ahead of 2012 European Antibiotics Awareness Day (November 18) and in light of the European Parliament’s Own (...)

European Health Forum Gastein - 2012 Edition Highlights Austerity Impacts on Health

The 15th European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) took place between 3-6 October 2012 in Austria. This year’s conference theme was “Crisis and Opportunity – Health in an Age of Austerity’’, and the various plenary sessions, parallel forums and workshops covered topics ranging from health system sustainability to disease prevention, global health governance and the future of public health, research and innovation. In a sense, this year’s EHFG felt like a (...)