Newsletter - July 2024

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

1. Editorial

Welcome to the July issue of our EUPHA newsletter. We hope you manage to stay cool during hot summer  spells and have enjoyed or are enjoying your well-deserved summer break. This newsletter provides you with updates on public health in Europe and beyond.

Wishing you a pleasant read.

Dr Iveta Nagyova, EUPHA President, and Charlotte Marchandise, Executive Director

2. EUPHA update

Meet-the-Section

The Meet-the-Section feature – which we started in February this year and through which we present one EUPHA Section each month – is on its well-deserved summer break, as are many of our active Section members. We will be back in September. If you are interested in learning about a specific EUPHA Section, feel free to let us know.

EUPHA Section-organised events

Below you will find information on three interesting webinars organised by EUPHA Chronic diseases Section:

The need to accelerate prevention and control of chronic diseases in Central Asia
(September 26, 2024 / 16:00-17:00 CEST)
Presenter: Antonio Sarría-Santamera, MBBS PhD, Medicine & Global Health, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kazakhstan
Click here to register.

Implementing a structured technology-supported care pathway for older cancer patient with multimorbidity as part of an multi-site RCT
(October 31, 2024 / 16:00-17:00 CET)
Presenter: Bridget O'Sullivan, MSc. Nursing, PG Health Protection, PG Dip. Perioperative Nursing, PG. Cert. Cardiovascular Health, BSc. Nursing, Diploma Nursing
Click here to register.

Team-based care for the management of chronic diseases: from evidence to implementation
(November 28, 2024 / 16:00-17:00 CET)
Presenters: Dr Viktoria Gastens, PharmD PhD, Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and Professor Valérie Santschi, PharmD PhD, La Source, School of Nursing Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland
Click here to register.

Many more post-summer EUPHA-Section organised events will be announced shortly!

The European Public Health Association calls on the Kingdom of Denmark to make health a priority when it assumes the chair of the Arctic Council in 2025

The European Public Health Association (EUPHA) welcomes the news that the Kingdom of Denmark will take the chair of the Arctic Council in 2025 and calls on the governments of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands to place health, and especially the health of Arctic Indigenous Peoples, high on the Council’s agenda. 
The case for prioritizing health in the Arctic region now is overwhelming.
This region is undergoing unprecedented changes that have profound implications for the health and well-being of Arctic populations, particularly indigenous communities. As the primary intergovernmental forum for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states, the Arctic Council must prioritize health to address the multifaceted challenges posed by these transformations. Focusing on health will not only enhance the quality of life for Arctic inhabitants but also bolster the region's resilience and sustainability.
Click here to read the full call.

3. 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

SAILING THE WAVES OF EUROPEAN PUBLIC HEALTH: EXPLORING A SEA OF INNOVATION

Pre-Conference programme

Together with EUPHA sections and other partners we are organising an interesting programme of pre-conferences on Tuesday 12 November. 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.

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. Organised by WHO Regional Office for Europe, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.
• Global Health: do European public health efforts contribute to global health solutions? Organised by EUPHA and ASPHER.
• Tackling health inequalities in times of crisis: looking at innovative strategies that can be employed to reduce disparities and ensure equitable access to health care. Organised by EuroHealthNet.
• One Health in Europe: from concept to practice. Organised by European Commission and ECDC. With Sandra Gallina, Director General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission; Stef Bronzwaer, European Food Safety Authority, Cross-Agency One Health Task Force; Susana Pombo, Chief Veterinary Officer, Portugal and President World Organisation for Animal Health.
• Harnessing social marketing for interdisciplinary health management: enhancing public health outcomes: presenting innovative campaigns, digital and community engagement techniques to promote healthier behaviours. Organised by EHMA.

Conferência de Saúde Pública da Lusofonia

We are excited to announce the “Conferência de Saúde Pública da Lusofonia” on 11 and 12 November at the Lisbon Congress Center (CCL), 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. Read more here.

Registration 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).

Registration benefits for EUPHA members

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.

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 17^th 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.

Welcome to Lisbon 2024

The 17th 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.

4. European Journal of Public Health

5. Call for proposals, job opportunities

EU project officer (European Society of Cardiology, Brussels)

The ESC is currently looking for a EU Project Officer for an undetermined contract, CDI, as from September 2024 to work at in our offices in Brussels, Belgium.
Click here for more information.

Two full professors within the Department of Organization Sciences (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

The Faculty of Social Sciences invites applications for two Full Professors in Organizational Change in a Transitioning Society and Organizing in a Network Society within the Department of Organization Sciences.
Click here for more information.

Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) Program Manager (Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgique)

Strategic operational, medical, and humanitarian intelligence is derived from relevant, clean, and quality data. Within the medical department of MSF Operational Center Brussels (OCB), the e-Health unit, internally called Ariadne unit, is responsible for designing, deploying, and maintaining electronic health tools, including Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The unit supports our operations at both field and HQ levels in the collection, processing, and utilization of medical data, in line with the objectives of the field projects and OCB’s overall ambitions.
Click here for more information.

Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer, Health and Climate (Health and Environment Alliance - HEAL, Brussels)

With the start of the new EU policy cycle, HEAL aims to strengthen health engagement on climate at the EU, national and urban levels, to up the ambition of the EU’s climate policies at home and internationally.
Click here for more information.

European Commission Study - AI in healthcare

The aim of the study is to identify the most prominent sector-specific challenges and the accelerators for the deployment of AI in healthcare. The study aims to outline options for action that may be considered by the EU Commission to better facilitate more effective and efficient deployment of AI in healthcare (please find attached accreditation letter and data protection notice). 

You are invited to fill in the survey.

Healthcare professional survey: click here
AI developer/researcher survey: click here
AI regulatory expert survey: click here

6. Interesting news

Public ranks long-term challenges and health determinants as top priorities for new EU

To enhance public health, the post-election European Union (EU) should prioritise long-term challenges such as climate change and the ageing population, as well as factors that influence our health, according to a new report. The findings, derived from a seven-month public debate led by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, highlight a collective call for the EU to play a more significant role in health.
Read more here.

Commission President von der Leyen re-elected: What next for Mental Health? (Mental Health Europe)

In her Political Guidelines 2024-2029, Ursula von der Leyen promised to ‘step up our work on preventive health, in particular for mental health (…) building on the successful model of the Beating Cancer Plan’. In this first reaction to the political proposals made for the next EU mandate, Mental Health Europe looks at what could and should happen next.
Read more here.

Iceland receives WHO award for leadership in advancing a well-being economy (WHO/Europe)

WHO/Europe has presented the prestigious WHO Regional Director for Europe’s Award to the Icelandic Government for its leadership in advancing a well-being economy both in Iceland and around the world. This recognition cements the longstanding partnership between Iceland and the WHO European Well-being Economy Initiative, which has been leading the way in redesigning the economy for more resilient and healthier societies that leave no one behind.
Read more here.

European Health Forum Gastein 2024: Shifting sands of health - Democracy, demographics, digitalisation (24 - 27 September 2024; Bad Hofgastein, Austria and online)

The health landscape in Europe is ever-changing, driven by numerous factors, trends, and forces. Inter-linked transformations, most prominently the demographic shift and the rapid developments in the world of digitalisation, have wide-ranging implications for the health of our societies and healthcare systems. Furthermore, the erosion of self-governing democracies by populist and autocratic political movements remains underestimated in health policy debates: democracy isn't so much dying in the darkness as being extinguished in the cold light of day. The health community faces a stark choice: mobilise in this new landscape or collude with the health consequences.
Read more here.

It’s silly season so you might as well beat the heat and sail into the sunset with some of our suggestions for public health-related summer reading classics (and some novel-ties)

• No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses, Peter Piot
• Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society, Arline T. Geronimus
• Within Reason: A Liberal Public Health for an Illiberal Time, Sandro Galea
• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Atul Gawande
• The Health Gap, Michael Marmot
• Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, Henry Marsh
• Illness as Metaphor, Susan Sontag
• Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic, Sam Quinones
• The Wisdom of Whores, Elizabeth Pisani
• Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder

7. Upcoming courses and conferences

8. Interesting publications

A public debate on the future health priorities of the European Union: Outcomes, insights and ideas for action

One of the key messages of the report is: Participants across the board recognise the role of the Commission and of DG SANTE in health and see the new European Parliament and Commission as a critical opportunity to encourage the right health priorities. They want the European Commission to play an ongoing and increasing role in public health and in fostering health leadership.
Read the other key messages here.

General practitioners and palliative care practices: a better knowledge of specific services is still needed (BMC Health Services Research)

France allows deep sedation for pain relief, but not for euthanasia. In anticipation of an increase in home-based palliative care, the role of general practitioners is central to the design of outpatient palliative care services. This study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of general practitioners in mainland France regarding palliative and end of life care.
Read more here.

Overcoming barriers to cervical screening attendance among underrepresented populations in Europe (The Lancet Regional Health Europe)

Many barriers exist that impact participation in screening. Individuals may face a combination of barriers such as bureaucracy in the health system impacting registration and invitation, financial barriers, discrimination, negative experiences, access issues, lack of appropriate information or cultural beliefs, fear, conflicting priorities and low awareness. In order to break down these barriers, it is necessary to understand them from a multi-level point of view. This paper proposes an intersectional and person-centred approach be adopted that considers individual, service and system level barriers, to achieve equitable provision and access to cervical screening.
Read more here.

New report highlights strategies for age-friendly cities in post-pandemic era (WHO/Europe)

How to create resilient, adaptive, and inclusive urban environments for older citizens is the subject of a newly launched policy brief by WHO/Europe and the Healthy Ageing Task Force (HATF) from the WHO Healthy Cities Network. “City leadership for age-friendly environments in the post-pandemic era” is targeted at planners, policy-makers, and politicians, and draws on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies.
Read more here.

Out-of-hours primary care, an alternative to hospital-based emergency care? (UNICEF)

Out-of-hours primary care is potentially useful and in demand, but its distribution and promotion in Romania is uneven. In order to reduce the pressure on A&E departments, these services need to be properly integrated into the management of the emergency system and the quality of their provision needs to be supported with adequate resources.
Read more here.

9. European Institutions’ news

Message from Josep Figueras Director of the Observatory

Read the message from Josep Figuearas here.

Meet the MEPs that will shape EU health policymaking (Euro News)

Pioneering surgeons, patient advocates, former health officials, social media personalities, and familiar faces: these are the European lawmakers to watch in the next parliamentary term.
Read more here.

Von der Leyen announces Critical Medicines Act to address medicine shortages (Euractiv)

The European Commission’s political guidelines for 2024-2029 state that Europe has to become more resilient and less dependent on non-EU supplies, it singles out the link between health and the pharmaceutical sector as a key area requiring urgent action.
Read more here.

EU to toughen cyberattack defence strategy for healthcare sector (Euro News)

The European Commission will step up its cybersecurity action in an increasingly digitalised health sector already experiencing threats and poses new challenges.
Read more here.

Past events & recordings by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Summer School Hybrid Session  - 23 July 2024 (The recording is not yet available, but we would appreciate any coverage as this was quite an exciting event with great insights and responses from the online/on-site audience. You can also find a run-down of some highlights on our LinkedIn here.) 

Broadening the role of pharmaceutical services in primary care - 27 June 2024

10. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 27, 04 July 2024

Rapid communication
Outbreak of Ralstonia pickettii associated with contamination of saline products distributed internationally, the United Kingdom, 2024
Mike Saunders, Amy Weaver, Rebecca Stretch, D Jeyaratnam, Mariyam Mirfenderesky, David Elliott, Charlotte Patterson, David Williams, Dervla TD Kenna, Jack Turton, Karen L Osman, Jane F Turton, Colin S Brown  and JWT Elston
Continued circulation of mpox: an epidemiological and phylogenetic assessment, European Region, 2023 to 2024
Aisling M Vaughan, Mohammed Afzal, Priyanka Nannapaneni, Mathias Leroy, Xanthi Andrianou, Jeffrey Pires, Silvia Funke, Celine Roman, Juliana Reyes-Uruena, Stephan Aberle, Aristos Aristodimou, Gudrun Aspelund, Kirsty F Bennet, Antra Bormane, Anna Caraglia, and others

Surveillance
Epidemiology of Q fever in humans in four selected regions, Spain, 2016 to 2022
Daniel Cifo, Rosa M Estévez-Reboredo, David González-Barrio, Isabel Jado  and Diana Gómez-Barroso
Use of proxy indicators for automated surveillance of severe acute respiratory infection, the Netherlands, 2017 to 2023: a proof-of-concept study
Maaike C Swets, Annabel Niessen, Emilie P Buddingh, Ann CTM Vossen, Karin Ellen Veldkamp, Irene K Veldhuijzen, Mark GJ de Boer  and Geert H Groeneveld

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 28, 11 July 2024

Rapid communication
Evaluation of the sensitivity of a measles diagnostic real-time RT-PCR assay incorporating recently observed priming mismatch variants, 2024
Andrew S Beck, Elena N Lopareva, Hyun Hwang, Derek Hart, Marcos de Almeida, Raydel Anderson, Paul A Rota  and Bettina Bankamp
First detection of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis XDR clinical isolate harbouring an RpoB I491F mutation in a Ukrainian patient treated in Germany, October 2023
Inna Friesen, Viola Dreyer, Angela Klingmüller, Sylvia Zuber, Ada M Hoffmann, Isabelle Suárez, Beatrice Schütz, Tim Preßel, Sönke Andres, Stefan Niemann  and Jan Rybniker

Outbreaks
Nosocomial transmission of tet(x3), bla_NDM-1 and bla_OXA-97-carrying Acinetobacter bauman-nii conferring resistance to eravacycline and omadacycline, the Netherlands, March to August 2021
Ditmer T Talsma, Rodrigo Monteiro, Rosario del Carmen Flores-Vallejo, Maarten Heuvelmans, Thuy-Nga Le, Antoni PA Hendrickx, Sigrid Rosema, Ianthe Maat, Jan Maarten van Dijl  and Erik Bathoorn

Surveillance
Marked increase in cryptosporidiosis cases, Spain, 2023
Marina Peñuelas Martinez, David Carmena, Bernardo R Guzmán Herrador, Margarita Palau Miguel, Gabriela Saravia Campelli, Rosa María García Álvarez, María Guerrero-Vadillo, Alejandro Dashti, Pamela C Köster, Esperanza Guevara Alemany, Fernando Simón Soria, and others

Research
Pathogen prioritisation for wastewater surveillance ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, France
Laila Toro, Henriette de Valk, Laura Zanetti, Caroline Huot, Arnaud Tarantola, Nelly Fournet, Laurent Moulin, Ali Atoui, Benoît Gassilloud, Damien Mouly  and Frédéric Jourdain
The impact of the COVID-19 vaccination programme on symptomatic and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection during a period of Omicron variant dominance in Ireland, December 2021 to March 2023
Louise Marron, Alberto Mateo-Urdiales, Joan O’Donnell, Eve Robinson  and Lisa Domegan

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 29, 18 July 2024

Editorial
Protecting public health in Europe: building trust in a challenging world
Pamela Rendi-Wagner

Research
Decrease in active hepatitis C infection among people who use drugs in Madrid, Spain, 2017 to 2023: a retrospective study
Pablo Ryan, Jorge Valencia, Guillermo Cuevas, Rafael Amigot-Sanchez, Isidoro Martínez, Jeffrey V Lazarus, Felipe Pérez-García  and Salvador Resino
A pilot project harnessing surveillance systems to support clinicians providing clinical care for people diagnosed with hepatitis C in Victoria, Australia, September 2021 to 31 March 2022
Mielle Abbott, Jennifer H MacLachlan, Nicole Romero, Nicole Matthews, Nasra Higgins, Alvin Lee, Mark Stoove, Tafireyi Marukutira, Brendan Quinn, Nicole L Allard  and Benjamin C Cowie
HIV-infected Latin American asylum seekers in Madrid, Spain, 2022: A prospective cohort study from a major gateway in Europe
Pablo Ryan, Samuel Manzano, Neda Deihim-Rahampour, Guillermo Cuevas, Laura Martin-Gonzalez, Alicia Gonzalez-Baeza, Pedro Torres, Jeffrey V Lazarus, Juan Torres-Macho, Jorge Valencia  and Matilde Sanchez-Conde

Surveillance
Increase in candidemia cases and emergence of fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis and C. auris isolates in a tertiary care academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, Greece, 2020 to 2023
Maria Siopi, Panagiota-Christina Georgiou, Paschalis Paranos, Maria-Ioanna Beredaki, Aikaterini Tarpatzi, Eleni Kalogeropoulou, Sofia Damianidou, Alexandra Vasilakopoulou, Polyxeni Karakos-ta, Spyros Pournaras  and Joseph Meletiadis

Letter
Letter to the editor: Severe parvovirus B19 infections in the immunocompetent population
Marta Giovanetti, Francesco Branda, Fabio Scarpa, Massimo Ciccozzi  and Giancarlo Ceccarelli

Eurosurveillance - Volume 29, Issue 30, 25 July 2024

Editorial
Towards eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat: different speeds, different needs
Mojca Matičič  and Maria Buti

Rapid communication
Early rise of West Nile fever in Israel, June 2024
Zohar Mor, Husein Omari, Victoria Indenbaum, Oscar D Kirstein, Oren Shatach Catabi, Shay Reicher, Yaniv Lustig, Maya Davidovich-Cohen, Ehud Kaliner, Rivka Sheffer, Shirly Elbaz, Or Kriger  and Sharon Alroy-Preis
Strain-dependent variations in replication of European clade 2.3.4.4b influenza A(H5N1) viruses in bovine cells and thermal inactivation in semi-skimmed or whole milk
Diana I Palme , Juliane Lang, Dajana Helke, Maryna Kuryshko  and Elsayed M Abdelwhab

Surveillance
Vacation in Egypt associated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection in children and adolescents, northern Italy, 2023
Thomas Ria, Maria Cristina Mancuso, Laura Daprai, Maria Francesca Liporace, Alessandra Gazzola, Sara Arnaboldi, Federica Vianello, Mario Luini, Dario Consonni, Gianluigi Ardis-sino and on behalf of the ItalKid-HUS Network

Research
Prevalence of chronic hepatitis C infection in the general population: results from a national survey, Romania, 2020 to 2023
Mira Hleyhel, Odette Popovici, Mihaela Leuștean, Suzanne Reed, Amal Sadou, Martina Furegato, Benjamin Bluemel, Erika Duffell  and Otilia Mardh
Prevalence of chronic hepatitis C infection in the general population: results from a national survey, Estonia, July to December 2022
Mira Hleyhel, Julia Geller, Amal Sadou, Paul Naaber, Tatiana Kuznetsova, Sigrid Vorobjov, Marleen Lõhmus, Martina Furegato, Suzanne Reed, Benjamin Bluemel, Erika Duffell  and Kristi Rüütel

11. WHO news

WHO teams up with IOC and France to support healthy Paris Olympics

The World Health Organization is taking part in the Paris Olympics in multiple fields, supporting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and France to help make the world’s leading sport spectacle, which officially starts this Friday, healthy and safe for spectators and athletes alike.
Read more here.

Europe tops the charts for alcohol consumption and WHO calls for urgent action to curb the trend

It seems that Europeans don’t want to give up booze. A UN World Health Organization (WHO) report has found that nothing has changed in the continent’s drinking habits. Despite the health risks, Europeans consume an average of 9.2 litres of pure alcohol a year - making them the world’s biggest drinkers.
Read more here.

Half a million children in WHO European Region not fully vaccinated in their first year of life: New 2023 data reveal both gaps and gains in immunization coverage

While over 9 million children received all 3 of their first critical vaccine doses against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) in their first year of life in the WHO European Region in 2023, another half a million missed one or more of these initial important steps toward full protection, according to WHO/UNICEF coverage estimates.
Read more here.

WHO launches new network for advancing data and digital solutions for health

WHO/Europe has launched the Strategic Partners’ Initiative for Data and Digital Health (SPI-DDH), a collaboration network that brings together the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region and leading partners in the fields of data and digital health.
Read more 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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