Newsletter - May 2024

1. Editorial
2. EUPHA update
3. European Public Health Week
4. European Public Health Conference
5. European Journal of Public Health
6. Call for proposals, job opportunities
7. Interesting news
8. Upcoming courses and conferences
9. Interesting publications
10. European Institutions’ news
11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news
12. WHO news

1. Editorial

Dear EUPHA Members and Researchers,It is a period of intense networking, with many events happenings, from the European Public Health Week to the World Health Assembly. An opportunity to remind that health is also about social connection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently launched a commission addressing the pervasive issues of loneliness and social isolation. People across all age groups and regions are affected, with current global estimates suggesting that 1 in 4 older adults experience social isolation and between 5 and 15 per cent of adolescents experience loneliness. Alarmingly, rates in low- and middle-income countries are comparable to or even higher than those in high-income countries.

The impact of social isolation and loneliness on health is profound and often under-recognized. Individuals lacking social connections face a higher risk of early death, and these issues are linked to anxiety, depression, suicide, and dementia. Additionally, they can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Beyond individual harm, social isolation and loneliness negatively affect entire communities, undermining their safety, prosperity, and effective governance.

So let's keep strengthening our social connections for the well-being of our communities!

2. EUPHA update

WFPHA General assembly and World Health Assembly

President Iveta Nagyova and Executive Director Charlotte Marchandise were in Geneva at the end of May to attend the World Federation of Public Health Associations General Assembly where we presented the report of our Region.

   
We congratulate the new president of the WFPHA Emma Rawson Te-Patu, the first Indigenous woman to hold the position. Her vision is to develop a global framework for transformational public health, rooted in Indigenous knowledge, values, and human rights.
We also congratulate Professor Raman Bedi who was voted President Elect of the WFPHA.

They also participated in the WHA77 and its many side-events, exploring themes from Primary Health Care to HPV vaccination, Behavioural Sciences to Urban Health.
We are also following the debate around the pandemic treaty. As EUPHA, we have to come together in a much more concerted manner with other public health associations, experts, and scientists. We also count on our sections to raise awareness of what this agreement represents, what it is supposed to deliver, and how we also need to tackle other enemies, e.g., misinformation about the treaty is a very important issue.

EuroNet MRPH Spring Meeting Round Table on Universal Health Coverage

EUPHA Executive Director Charlotte Marchandise was a panelist at the round table on 10 May organised during the EuroNet MRPH Spring Meeting. 

Other speakers were:

• Antonio Pascual Gómez - Coordinator of The Bioethics Committee of the Spanish Council of Medical Students (CEEM) and Asociación por el Acceso Justo al Medicamento (AAJM)
• Vanessa López - Director of Salud por Derecho
• José Manuel Freire -  Emeritus Professor of the Department of International Health of the Spanish National Institute of Health (ENS-ISCIII)

Moderator:

• Antonio Pujol de Castro. Coordinator of the Spanish Association of Medical Residents in Public Health (ARES MPSP).

4^th International Conference on Public Mental Health, Vilnius : "Community-Based Public Mental Health Interventions." 

The Public Mental Health Section of EUPHA in collaboration with international partners – The Norwegian Health Directorate, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius University, and Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway grants for the 4th time has organized the International Public Mental Health conference “Community based public mental health services” which took place in Vilnius, Lithuania on the 29^th of May, 2024. The scientific section of the conference was opened by Ms Charlotte Merchandise, the Executive Director of EUPHA in her keynote presentation highlighting the importance of innovative solutions, collective efforts and the comprehensive approach to public mental health. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marija Jakubauskiene, Vilnius University (Public Mental Health Section of EUPHA) presented an overview of the public mental health perspectives in Lithuania. Prof. Jutta Lindert, University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer (Public Mental Health Section of EUPHA) in her presentation has highlighted the importance of the family relationships for the public mental health.  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lourdes Cantarero Arevalo, University of Copenhagen (Child and Adolescent Health Section of EUPHA) presented a comprehensive overview of the evidence-based youth-driven interventions for advancing child and adolescent health. Networking and collaborations of the International Public Mental Health Conference will be continued in the winter school on public mental health in December 3-6, 2024 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Top left: Charlotte Marchandise, top right: Marija Jakubauskiene, bottom left: Jutta Lindert, bottom right: Lourdes Cantarero Arevalo (photographer: Vaidas Garla).

Meet the section: Public Health Economics

Public Health Economics integrates economic analyses and techniques to provide a comprehensive perspective of the economic implications of public health policies and interventions. Research in the field goes beyond economic evaluation of public health interventions and healthcare cost analyses. Some examples are the economic case for prevention investments, the quantification of costs associated with lifestyle-related diseases. Beyond these, other examples include the study of unemployment impact on health, the comparison between prevention and treatment options with standard practices or the design of toolkits to aid policymakers and health professionals in their decision-making processes.
Our aim is to build a network for health economists, decision-makers, researchers, and all public health practitioners to promote the sharing of expertise, capacity building and advocacy tools within our field.
Section’s past activities included scientific training for our members (e.g. panel data econometrics or microsimulation models) and webinars such as modelling healthcare expenditure by diseases or the interplay between economics and equity. We have also recently constituted the Working Group on Mental Health Economics within our Section.
Do not hesitate to join us through the subscription link on the EUPHA website here. As member of the section, you will have first-hand access to job positions, recent papers or upcoming events through our Section’s newsletter.
Meet us at the EPH Conference during the Join the Network session, pre-conference and other section-led workshops.
João Vasco Santos and Vanessa Gorasso
ECO Section President and Vice-President

Registration open for Symposium: From single chronic disease to multimorbidity prevention, surveillance, and public health policy: need for multisectoral approaches

Santé publique France and the European Public Health Association jointly organize the international symposium on multimorbidity, 26 - 27 June at Saint Maurice. Symposium will be in English language. 
With the key speakers in the field of multimorbidity and chronic diseases, we aim to discuss the challenges and opportunities in surveillance, research, prevention and public policy in the field of multimorbidity.
Speakers come from all over Europe, Canada and Singapore.
The targeted audience are researchers, practitioners, public health workers and policy makers in the field of multimorbidity and chronic diseases.
Registration is free of charge but obligatory. Number of places for on-site participation is limited.
Registration closes on 10 June for on-site participation and 16 June for virtual participation.
Click here for the programme.
For in person attendance click here. 
For virtual attendance click here.

Upcoming EUPHA webinars

In June the EUPHA Health and care workforce research section organises several webinars. 

The ‘permacrises’ and its exacerbating effects of the healthcare workforce crisiss
June 7, 2024 - 18:00-19:00 CET

Re-visioning the governance and organisation of healthcare work: skill-mix, leadership, and new professional groups
June 11, 2024 - 15:00-16:00 CET

Global healthcare labour markets and mobile workforces
June 17, 2024 - 16:00-17:00 CET

Check out the webinar webpage here for detailed information and registration as well as upcoming webinars of other sections later this year. Recordings of webinars can be viewed in the EUPHA Resources module. Simply log onto your EUPHA account and proceed to EUPHA general resources > webinars.

3. European Public Health Week

EUPHW update May

The sixth edition of EUPHA’s European Public Health Week took place earlier this May. Despite (or because) of some changes to the format and the approach, the EUPHW was again a success! This year’s overarching topic Health is a political choice! indeed resonated with the public health community across Europe (and beyond). So did the link to the topic of this year’s European Public Health Conference in Lisbon – innovation. Majority of events really did touch upon the relevance of health and healthcare in many elections taking place this year in Europe and around the worlds - and discussed innovative approaches to putting health high(est) on the political agenda.
Besides the overarching and EPH Conference-linking topics, several daily themes were also emphasised: mental health and co-creation, glocal (global+local) approaches to planetary health, silo-breaking innovations in health through the life course and the relevance of young generation of public health professionals.
More than 150 events took place in over 20 countries in almost as many different languages. For the first time, more in-person (than online) events were organised. Also, more than half of all events focused on local communities, followed by those with a global scope. If this is not glocal, what is?
There were so many insights (what?), recommendations (so what?) and calls to action (now what? that this whole newsletter could be about the 2024 European Public Health Week… We will stop here but invite you to follow EUPHA’s social media channels for most insightful, useful and actionable moments from the 2024 EUPHW.

4. European Public Health Conference

17^th EPH CONFERENCE, LISBON, PORTUGAL

Pre-Conferences 11 – 12 NOVEMBER
Main Conference 13 – 15 NOVEMBER
Theme: SAILING THE WAVES OF EUROPEAN PUBLIC HEALTH: EXPLORING A SEA OF INNOVATION

Next ‘Sailing to Lisbon’ webinar – Monday 3 June, 17:00 CET

In the context of the upcoming European elections, it is very important to hear what the Political Groups at the European Parliament will be proposing, so we have invited a representative of each of the seven Groups. The debate will be moderated by a Dulce Salzedas, a Portuguese journalist with extensive experience in covering the news in the health sector. Read more here.

Pre-confererence programme

We are excited to announce an interesting programme of pre-conferences on Monday and Tuesday 11 and 12 November. If you would like to attend a pre-conference, registration is required. Pre-conferences can be booked when registering for the main conference. You can add a pre-conference to your existing registration by sending an email with your preferred pre-conference to registration@ephconference.eu. You will receive an adjusted invoice by email.

Thematic fields include cancer prevention; health literacy; European Health Data Space; Artificial Intelligence; digital health; strategic foresight methodology; behavioural and cultural insights; social security, work and health; prevention and preparedness; syndromic surveillance systems; enhancing your writing skills; and future health scenarios. Detailed information here.

Theme and programme

The theme of this year’s EPH Conference ‘Sailing the waves of European public health: exploring a sea of innovation’, reflects our collective journey. Just as explorers once set out from Lisbon to discover new worlds, we as public health professionals are embarking on a journey of innovation and discovery in our own field. We aim to push the boundaries, discover new approaches and chart the course for the future of public health in Europe. The focus of our journey will be on:

• Artificial Intelligence in Public Health: exploring how AI is transforming disease surveillance, healthcare delivery, and decision-making;
• One Health: discussing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, how to strengthen public health strategies and mitigate emerging threats;
• Social Marketing in Public Health: presenting innovative campaigns, digital and community engagement techniques to promote healthier behaviours;
• Health Inequalities: looking at innovative strategies that can be employed to reduce disparities and ensure equitable access to health care;
• Global Health: how can European public health efforts contribute to global health solutions.

The themes will be dealt with in our plenary sessions, organised by EUPHA, EuroHealthNet, European Health Management Association (EHMA), ASPHER, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), European Commission and WHO Regional Office for Europe. Read more here.

Registration is open with benefits for EUPHA members

Registration for the Lisbon 2024 is open. You can benefit from early bird registration fees until 1 September. EUPHA members and delegates from Portugal pay € 690 before 1 September, non-members € 790. Students, trainees and colleagues from low- and middle-income countries pay
€ 400. All fees mentioned including VAT. More information here.

Abstract submision results

For those that submitted an abstract please keep an eye on your inbox (and SPAM box) as abstract submission results will be communicated by mid-June. Accepted abstracts are published in the Abstract Supplement of the European Journal of Public Health but only if you have registered for and presented at the Lisbon conference.

Funding opportunities

EUPHA and EPH Conference Foundation have set up the Jouke van der Zee Fund offering registration fee waivers to delegates from lower-middle and upper-middle income countries in the WHO European Region and have an active role at the EPH Conference 2024. You may apply for a waiver if you have an oral/poster presentation or being a speaker/panelist in a workshop and come from one of the eligible countries (listed at our website). Deadline for applications: 1 July 2024. Read more.

Conferência de Saúde Pública da Lusofonia

We are excited to announce the Conferência de Saúde Pública da Lusofonia on 11 and 12 November 2024, strengthening cooperation in public health between the nine Member States of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). The conference language will be Portuguese. Simultaneous translation into English will be provided.

Thematic areas include training and development of the health workforce, health Information and communication, monitoring of SDGs, public health emergency preparedness, research and bioethics. These themes and more will be addressed in plenary sessions and round tables and oral presentations.

Registration, with reduced fees for delegates from the Portuguese speaking countries, is through the EPH Conference registration panel.

The Lusophone Public Health Conference is organized by EPH Conference, the Portuguese Association for Public Health (APPSP) and the National Association of Public Health Doctors (ANMSP). The conference is held at the Lisbon Congress Center, Portugal.

Travel and hotel accommodation

You are advised to book your travel and accommodation early. TAP Air Portugal has been appointed as the Official Airline Carrier of the 17th EPH Conference in Lisbon and kindly offers delegates of the EPH Conference a 10 per cent discount. More here.
Hotel bookings are handled by our travel partner Forum d’Ideias. On the EPH Conference website you find a link to the hotel accommodation. More here.

EUPHA Fellows

This year we will be recruiting EUPHA Fellows again. The selected fellows will have the opportunity to work alongside the EUPHAnxt team, the EUPHA office and the EPH Conference team. Fellows will be selected from those that have an accepted abstract. Stay tuned for the official announcement in the EUPHAnxt newsletter later this month.

Welcome to Lisbon 2024

The 17^th EPH Conference will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 12 – 15 November 2024. Theme of the EPH conference 2024 is: Sailing the waves of European public health: exploring a sea of innovation. The main conference is from 13 – 15 November. Pre-conferences will be held on 11 and 12 November. The 17th EPH Conference will be held at the Lisbon Congress Center (CCL). Click here for a virtual tour.

5. European Journal of Public Health

Effect of fine particulate matter exposure on gestational diabetes mellitus risk: a retrospective cohort study 
Zhenyan Wan and others
Socioeconomic inequalities in the uptake of postpartum care at home across Dutch neighbourhoods 
Leonie A Daalderop and others
Reach and public health implications of proposed new food marketing regulation in Germany: an updated analysis 
Anna Leibinger and others
Save the world or disappear: the fate of Public Health in an era of formidable challenges 
Walter Ricciardi
Trends in oesophageal cancer mortality in Montenegro, 1990–2018
Mirjana Nedović Vuković and others
Comparing healthcare needs by language: interpreted Arabic and Somali telehealth calls in two regions of Sweden, 2014–18 
Leah J Martin and others
Environmental impact of dietary patterns in 10 European countries; a cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative dietary surveys 
Ricardo Alves and others
Designing, piloting and evaluating (through a matched pre- and post-implementation survey) a targeted e-learning resource on antimicrobial resistance for public health professionals
Hannah M Taylor and others
Excess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022 
Ingeborg Forthun and others
Analysis of the global burden of cervical cancer in young women aged 15–44 years old 
Min Zhang and others
The use of healthcare services and disabling chronic pain: results from the cross-sectional population-based Andalusian Health Survey 
Rocío Cáceres-Matos and others
Differences in colorectal cancer awareness between screening eligible vs. ineligible Palestinians: a national cross-sectional study 
Mohamedraed Elshami and others
Differences in the body image based on physical parameters among young women from the Czech Republic and Slovakia 
Ramona Babosová and others
The reflective measurement model of adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in accordance with normalization process theory (NPT) in coherent and convenient social subgroups: PLS-SEM analysis 
Magda Pletikosa Pavic and others
The impact of the English national health inequalities strategy on inequalities in mortality at age 65: a time-trend analysis 
Natalie C Bennett and others
What factors influence the uptake of bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening? An overview of international research 
Sarah R Prowse and others
The influence of breast screening on breast cancer incidence in England: observational study based on cancer registries and bulletins of the NHS Breast Screening Programme 
Philippe Autier and others
Changes in Chlamydia trachomatis risk before and after union formation and separation among women of reproductive age 
Niina S Metsä-Simola and others
Twenty years since the 2004 European Union enlargement: what does it mean for health? 
Rok Hrzic and Helmut Brand
Educational inequalities in major depressive disorder prevalence, timing and duration among adults over the life course: a microsimulation analysis based on the Lifelines Cohort Study 
Alexander Lepe and others
COVID-19 acts like a stress test, uncovering the vulnerable part of the human body: a retrospective study of 1640 cases in China 
Tian-Yi He and others
Younger but sicker? Cohort trends in disease accumulation among middle-aged and older adults in Scotland using health-linked data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study 
Eloi Ribe and others
Health policy developments in the Western Balkan Countries 2000–19: towards European Health and Health Care Policies 
Fatime Arenliu Qosaj and Margaret Bourdeaux
Interventions for cold homes: a rapid review of the health impacts 
Kimberly Lazo Green and others
Coming of age: governance challenges in updated AMR national action plans in the EU 
Daniel E Carelli and others
Impact of different age ranges on the benefits and harms of the breast cancer screening programme by the EU-TOPIA tool 
Marina Pinto-Carbó and others
Addressing chronic diseases: a comparative study of policies towards type-2 diabetes and hypertension in selected European countries 
Chiara Seghieri and others
Changes in Life’s Essential 8 and risk of cardiovascular disease in Chinese people 
Wenjuan Li and others
Citizens’ digital footprints to support health promotion at the local level—PUHTI study, Finland 
Katri Kilpeläinen and others
Development of a workforce self-assessment tool for public health emergency preparedness 
Jessica S Hayes and others
Daylight saving time was not associated with a change in suicide rates in Austria, Switzerland and Sweden 
Martin Plöderl and others

6. Call for proposals, job opportunities

PhD Position at the University of Amsterdam: 'Empowering Adolescents: Building Resilience Against Planetary Health Misinformation'

Are you intrigued by adolescents’ susceptibility to planetary health misinformation, including issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, and other environmental concerns impacting our planet's health? Are you curious about exploring which groups of adolescents are particularly vulnerable to consuming and unintentionally sharing misinformation? Would you like to delve deeper into how we can empower adolescents through targeted interventions? Then apply for this PhD project!
More information here.

Young Physician Leaders (YPL) Programme 2024: call for nominations

Nominations will be accepted from members of the InterAcademy Partnership and the ‘M8 Alliance’ of academic centres.
The AP Young Physician Leaders (YPL) Programme is held on 11-13 October 2024 in conjunction with the World Health Summit (WHS) in Berlin, Germany, 13-15 October 2024.
More information here.

Working group strategic leads and members & internship opportunities: Planetary Health European Hub

Check out the various opportunities on LinkedIn here.

PhD Candidate: History of Global North-South Public Health Cooperation Utrecht University

Interested in researching the diplomatic history of global north-south public health cooperation in a vibrant team? Join us at the ERC-funded project COOPERATION as a PhD researcher.
More information here.

WHO Public Health Support Officer - Universal Health Coverage/Healthier Populations in Zagreb, Croatia and Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Special Initiative on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Innovation (SNI) supports Member States in their work to free the WHO European Region from avoidable NCDs. SNI recognizes both the urgency for immediate action as well as the need for a visionary paradigm shift that puts NCDs higher on the political and health agendas for future generations. Therefore, SNI takes a dual-track approach, promoting accelerated progress toward the NCD-related SDG commitments for 2030 (RACE to the Finish) while simultaneously championing the key generational shifts required, to address NCDs within the permacrisis (Vision 2050), and achieve a sustainably healthier European Region. 
Read more here and here.

7. Interesting news

Second PROPHET newsletter

A PeRsOnalized Prevention roadmap for the future HEalThcare
This project is lead by the Universita Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore (Roma, Italy), PROPHET project involves 18 partners from 12 different EU Member States plus UK and a large number of stakeholders already engaged from different target groups. This EU funded project will develop a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Personalized Prevention, in order to support the implementation of innovative, sustainable and effective personalized programs to prevent common chronic diseases. PROPHET will be centered around stakeholder engagement and the SRIA co-creation process in relation to three main strands of activities: Mapping, Assessment, and Building. The project started in September 2022 and will run until August 2026.
Read the second newsletter here.

WHO Young Researchers Forum

Programme on the Quality of Child and Adolescents Mental Health Care under the WHO European Athens Office on Quality of Care and Mental Health Flagship Initiative is launching the WHO Young Researchers Forum, dedicated to advancing mental health outcomes for children and adolescents. Register using the link here for the June 4^th launch event. 

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: To Protect Human Health, We Must Protect the Earth's Health

“The Earth crisis now represents a humanitarian crisis,” says Sam Myers. But there are solutions that serve both people and the planet.
Human activities have transformed and degraded Earth’s natural systems. But it’s not just the planet that endures the harms of things like pollution and climate change. Changes like rising ocean temperatures and CO2 levels have cascading effects that threaten the future of humans.
More information here.

The health data quality label

This May, another EU-funded project kicked off – the QUANTUM project on developing data quality and utility labels for the European Health Data Space.
More information here.

New episode of the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab podcast: "There is no refuge in the lab, science needs to reach out"

This episode's guest is Sudip Parikh. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of the Science journals.
The host is Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences.
Listen to this episode here.

RIVM: "Solar panel recycling could be more sustainable"

IVM looked into ways being developed to reuse raw materials used in solar panels. The four ways described by RIVM in this report are more sustainable than how solar panels are currently recycled. This involves the glass, the silicon from solar cells and the plastic back sheet. Hazardous substances such as lead, antimony and PFAS are also a cause for concern. From 2030 onwards, an increasing number of solar panels will be replaced. RIVM therefore recommends encouraging the development towards sustainable design and recycling now. 
Read more here.

8. Upcoming courses and conferences

9. Interesting publications

Using narratives to correct politically charged health misinformation and address affective belief echoes

In May 2020, news outlets reported misinformation about the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) related to COVID-19. Correcting misinformation about outbreaks and politics is particularly challenging. Affective belief echoes continue to influence audiences even after successful correction. Narrative and emotional flow scholarship suggest that a narrative corrective with a positive ending could reduce belief echoes. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy of a narrative corrective with a relief ending for correcting misinformation about the CDC.
Read the article in the Journal of Public Health here.

"You get out of the house, you talk to each other, you laugh...And that's fantastic" - a qualitative study about older people's perceptions of social prescribing in mainland Portugal

Social prescribing (SP) is a non-clinical approach, most commonly based in healthcare units, that aims to address non-medical health-related social needs by connecting individuals with community-based services. This qualitative study explores the perception of Portuguese older adults regarding the benefits of SP and their willingness to participate in SP initiatives.
Read the article in the BMC Health Services Research here.

AI Quality Standards in Health Care: Rapid Umbrella Review

In recent years, there has been an upwelling of artificial intelligence (AI) studies in the health care literature. During this period, there has been an increasing number of proposed standards to evaluate the quality of health care AI studies.
Read the article in the JMIR here.

Making a moral argument without moral bullying

Sandro Galea’s “The Healthiest Goldfish” blog is always a pleasure to read and digest. The latest post, first in a three-part series, on “making a moral argument without moral bullying”, is no exception. 
Read the article on his substack here.

Breaking the Mold: Rethinking Global Health Through a Co-Creation Lens

Determinants of health are a complex range of biological, social, economic, environmental, and political factors that transcend national boundaries and governments. This creates complex problems with global processes profoundly influencing how we understand and approach health challenges. As these occur in a webbed, dynamic, and interdependent fashion, health can be viewed as a complex issue, with traditional top-down approaches often falling short in addressing pressing issues. This is possibly due to an overemphasis on generating universal knowledge through theory-building and testing in controlled conditions. An alternative approach, called co-creation, involves developing interventions within specific contexts, fostering collaborative knowledge generation, and establishing equitable and sustainable partnerships.
Read the article on PLOS blogs here.

The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Socioeconomic Inequalities and Policy Making

Generative artificial intelligence has the potential to both exacerbate and ameliorate existing socioeconomic inequalities. In this article, we provide a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary overview of the potential impacts of generative AI on (mis)information and three information-intensive domains: work, education, and healthcare.
Read the article in PNAS Nexus here.

Mapping competency in public health training - experience of the Europubhealth consortium

Public health education aims at producing a competent workforce. The WHO-ASPHER framework proposes a set of relevant public health competencies organised in 10 sections (e.g. science practice, leadership, law policies and ethics etc). As part of the Europubhealth (EPH) consortium, eight universities collaborate for the delivery of a 2-year international public health master course. The training pathway includes a first “foundation” year, with a choice of four options (components), and a second “specialisation” year with a choice of seven components. In 2020, EPH consortium decided to use the WHO-ASPHER framework in order to map the competencies addressed and the level of proficiency targeted by each component of its master course.
Read the article in BMC Medical Education here.

Policy Brief: The socioeconomic drivers and impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Implications for policy and research

The policy community, international and national, recognizes the significant health and economic impacts of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on individuals, households, health systems and society. It is seeking sustainable solutions but often neglects the socioeconomic and sociocultural drivers of AMR.
Read the policy brief here.

10. European Institutions’ news

The Observatory on Health Systems and Policies at EUPHW

The Observatory on Health Systems and Policies organised two sessions at the European Public Health Week.
Is public health relevant in the new world? Held on 13 May 2024.
Watch the session here.
Social prescribing: Dismantling silos for community wellbeing held on 16 May 2024.
Watch the session here.

Arguably the most important EU news this month: European elections (6-9 June 2024)

Choose your country of voting and your preferred language to find out how to vote. As an EU citizen, you can vote in your country of origin, from abroad or in the EU country you live in. 
Read more about the EU elections here.

European Health Union: stronger and better prepared for the future

The Commission adopted a Communication on the European Health Union, which highlights the strides made in EU health policy over the last four years, for the benefit of citizens in the EU and worldwide.
Read more here.

Commission facilitates faster access to medicines with clear rules for joint clinical assessments

The European Commission adopted new rules for the joint clinical assessments of medicines at Union level, contributing to faster access to medicines for EU patients. These new rules define the timelines and the steps for conducting EU joint clinical assessments. The assessment reports will provide scientific evidence to Member States' authorities at an early stage after a medicine's marketing authorisation. This will help them to decide about its use in the national health system, assessing their value on the basis of robust evidence, and thus taking more effective, timely decisions when bringing medicines to the market.
Read more here.

HERA launches the Critical Medicines Alliance to tackle shortages of critical medicines

In a concerted effort to combat shortages of critical medicines, HERA, in collaboration with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, has officially launched the Critical Medicines Alliance. The announcement was made during the informal EPSCO Council meeting of health ministers, marking a significant stride towards fortifying the European Health Union.
Read more here.

11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 21, 23 May 2024

Rapid communication
New atypical epidemiological profile of parvovirus B19 revealed by molecular screening of blood donations, France, winter 2023/24
Marlène Guillet, Ariane Bas, Marjorie Lacoste, Céline Ricard, Catherine Visse, Valérie Barlet, Lucile Malard, Sophie Le Cam, Pascal Morel, Xavier de Lamballerie, Syria Laperche  and Pierre Gallian
Ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A associated with sexual transmission among men who have sex with men, Portugal, October 2023 to April 2024
Ebba Rosendal, Sebastian von Schreeb, Alexandre Gomes, Sara Lino, Berta Grau-Pujol, Sara Magalhães, Vasco Ricoca Peixoto, Carla Roque, Joana Moreno, Fernando Maltez, Fernando Almeida, Rita Sá Machado, Rui Tato Marinho, Paula Vasconcelos, Rita de Sousa  and João Vieira Martins

Research
Mpox in children and adolescents and contact follow-up in school settings in greater Paris, France, May 2022 to July 2023
Laura Reques, Lilas Mercuriali, Yassoungo Silué, Emilie Chazelle, Guillaume Spaccaferri, Annie Velter, Alexandra Mailles, Pierre Frange  and Arnaud Tarantola
Factors potentially contributing to the decline of the mpox outbreak in the Netherlands, 2022 and 2023
Manon R Haverkate, Inge JM Willemstein, Catharina E van Ewijk, Philippe CG Adam, Susan J Lanooij, Petra Jonker-Jorna, Colette van Bokhoven, Gini GC van Rijckevorsel, Elske Hoornenborg, Silke David, Liesbeth Mollema, Margreet J te Wierik, Jente Lange, and others

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 20, 16 May 2024

Rapid communication
Increase in invasive group A streptococcal infections (iGAS) in children and older adults, Norway, 2022 to 2024
Beatriz Valcarcel Salamanca, Pascale Renée Cyr, Yngvild Emblem Bentdal, Sara Viksmoen Watle, Astrid Louise Wester, Åse Marie Wikman Strand  and Håkon Bøås
Aedes albopictus is a competent vector of five arboviruses affecting human health, greater Paris, France, 2023
Chloé Bohers, Marie Vazeille, Lydia Bernaoui, Luidji Pascalin, Kevin Meignan, Laurence Mousson, Georges Jakerian, Anaïs Karch, Xavier de Lamballerie  and Anna-Bella Failloux

Outbreaks
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease linked to a municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant, The Netherlands, September–October 2022
Roan Pijnacker, Petra Brandsema, Sjoerd Euser, Ali Vahidnia, Arnold Kuiter, Jesse Limaheluw, Christine Schout, Gaaled Haj Mohammad  and Stijn Raven

Surveillance
Autochthonous and imported giardiasis cases: An analysis of two decades of national surveillance data, Germany, 2002 to 2021
Franziska Hommes, Achim Dörre, Susanne C Behnke, Klaus Stark  and Mirko Faber

Letter
Letter to the editor: Atypical age distribution and high disease severity in children with RSV infections during two irregular epidemic seasons throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
Xiangting Liu  and Guangting Zeng
Authors’ response: Atypical age distribution and high disease severity in children with RSV infections during two irregular epidemic seasons throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
Wei Cai, Sophie Köndgen, Kristin Tolksdorf, Ralf Dürrwald, Barbara Biere, Walter Haas, Thorsten Wolff, Silke Buda  and Janine Reiche

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 19, 09 May 2024

Outbreaks
Outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in hospital linked to a fava bean product, Finland, 2015 to 2019
Eveline Otte im Kampe, Saara Salmenlinna, Riikka Åberg, Suvi Wallgren, Maria Hautaniemi, Satu Keronen, Elina Leinonen, Annika Pihlajasaari, Eeva Ruotsalainen, Anna Sarvela  and Ruska Rimhanen-Finne

Surveillance
Anorectal lymphogranuloma venereum among men who have sex with men: a 3-year nationwide survey, France, 2020 to 2022
Olivia Peuchant, Cécile Laurier-Nadalié, Laura Albucher, Carla Balcon, Amandine Dolzy, Nadège Hénin, Arabella Touati, Cécile Bébéar  and on behalf of the Anachla study group

Research
Emergence and spread of a mupirocin-resistant variant of the European epidemic fusidic acid-resistant impetigo clone of Staphylococcus aureus, Belgium, 2013 to 2023
Nicolas Yin, Charlotte Michel, Nadia Makki, Ariane Deplano, Alisha Milis, Benoit Prevost, Veronique Yvette Miendje-Deyi, Marie Hallin  and Delphine Martiny

Letter
Letter to the editor: Critical need for robust surveillance in response to DENV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactivity
Chia Siang Kow, Dinesh Sangarran Ramachandram, Syed Shahzad Hasan  and Kaeshaelya Thiruchelvam
Author’s response: Critical need for robust surveillance in response to DENV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactivity
Raphaëlle Klitting, Xavier de Lamballerie  and on behalf of all co-authors of the original article

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 18, 02 May 2024

Rapid communication
The first confirmed human case of rabies, Timor-Leste, 2024
Marcelo Amaral Mali, Filipe de Neri Machado, Filomeno Pinto Moniz, Frederico Bosco Alves dos Santos, Perpetua Ana Mery Estela Laot, Ari Jayanti Pereira Tilman, Tanizio Ebryes Florindo, Cristovao de Alexandria Barros, Adriano Barbosa, Jose A Oliveira Lima, and others

Surveillance
A combined cross-sectional analysis and case-control study evaluating tick-borne encephalitis vaccination coverage, disease and vaccine effectiveness in children and adolescents, Switzerland, 2005 to 2022
Kyra D Zens, Ekkehardt Altpeter, Monica N Wymann, Annora Mack, Nora B Baer, Sarah R Haile, Robert Steffen, Jan S Fehr  and Phung Lang

Research
Raw meat-based diet for pets: a neglected source of human exposure to Salmonella and pathogenic Escherichia coli clones carrying mcr, Portugal, September 2019 to January 2020
Marisa Ribeiro-Almeida, Joana Mourão, Mafalda Magalhães, Ana R Freitas, Carla Novais, Luísa Peixe  and Patrícia Antunes

12. WHO news

Call for experts – WHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Economic and Commercial Determinants of Health - deadline 7 July

WHO headquarters is establishing a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on the Economic and Commercial Determinants of Health (CDOH) and the call for experts is now open.  The TAG will act as an advisory body to WHO to support work on the economic and commercial determinants of health:
(1) support Member States in protecting against public health harms arising from CDOH and safeguarding the public sector from conflicts of interest, while also leveraging the potential of the commercial sector for improving health and health equity;
(2) support Member States in addressing the upstream economic enablers and incentives of health-harming and health-promoting commercial practices.

The TAG will:

• Provide independent evaluation of the scientific technical and strategic aspects of the economic and commercial determinants of health.
• Recommend priorities within the Organization and/or relevant technical unit and/or in this area;
  Advise WHO on planned activities and approaches within this area.
• Advise WHO on the implementation of the economic and commercial determinants aspects of WHA74.16 Resolution on the Social Determinants of Health.
• Review and make recommendations to WHO on frameworks and approaches for the measurement and evaluation of the economic and commercial determinants

More information including how to apply can be found here: https://lnkd.in/enmAKjqD Please email Monika Kosinska, cdoh@who.int for further information.

Cardiovascular diseases kill 10 000 people in the WHO European Region every day, with men dying more frequently than women

WHO/Europe report warns of lethal levels of salt consumption and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Most people in the WHO European Region consume far too much salt, and more than one in three adults aged 30–79 has hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure. This matters because high salt intake raises blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. A new WHO/Europe report “Action on salt and hypertension” calls for an integrated approach to reduce salt intake and improve detection and control of hypertension to protect people’s health. 
Read the article here.

New WHO/Europe report highlights a direct link between COVID-19 and increased obesity in school-aged children

A new report from WHO/Europe confirms what has long been suspected: a link between the COVID-19 pandemic and increased rates in obesity among children 7 to 9 years old. 
The publication, titled “Report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily routine and behaviours of school-aged children: results from 17 Member States in the WHO European Region”, presents research showing that the pandemic led to more screen time and less physical activity, mirroring an increase in overweight children in the same age range.
Read the article here.

Joint press release from WHO and UNICEF: measles cases across Europe continue to surge, putting millions of children at risk

Rapid response to measles outbreak is critical, as cases this year predicted to soon exceed total number reported in 2023.
According to the latest available data, 56 634 measles cases and four deaths were officially reported across 45 out of 53 countries in the WHO European Region during the first three months of 2024. Throughout 2023, 61 070 cases and 13 deaths were reported by 41 countries.
Measles has a devastating effect on children’s health, with young children most at risk of severe complications. High rates of hospitalization and long-lasting weakening of children’s immune systems make children more vulnerable to other infectious diseases. More than half of those who contracted measles in the Region in 2023 were hospitalized, demonstrating the severe burden on individuals, families and health-care systems.
Read the article here.

World No Tobacco Day 2024: protecting children from tobacco industry interference

31 May is the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). This year, once again, WHO and public health champions from across the globe will come together to raise awareness about the harmful influences of the tobacco industry on youth.
Read the article here.

Optimizing the health and care workforce through data and digital health

WHO/Europe will host a webinar on 6 June to explore how the work of health and care professionals can be optimized with data and digital health. This is the 8th webinar in the Decoding Data and Digital Health series, which addresses digital health topics of importance to countries in the WHO European Region.
Read the article here.

WHO/Europe is launching the first-ever co-designed WHO Young Researchers Forum to improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health care

The WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, Greece, through its Programme on the Quality of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care, in collaboration with the WHO European Mental Health Flagship, introduces the first-ever WHO Young Researchers Forum to improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health care, set to be launched on 4 June.
This initiative, tailored for early-career professionals and researchers from the WHO European Region, aims at improving the quality of children and adolescents' mental health care through supporting cutting-edge research and cross-disciplinary partnerships.
Read the article here.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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