Newsletter - August 2018

1. Editorial
2. EUPHA update
3. European Public Health Conference
4. EUPHA members update
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 Commission news
11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news
12. WHO news

1. Editorial

Welcome to the August edition of the EUPHA newsletter. We hope you have all enjoyed a good summer break and are back at work with renewed energy. To catch up on your reading, please click on information of your interest to read more. If you don't want to wait for our monthly newsletter, stay up-to-date by following us on Twitter @EUPHActs

If you have any information to add to the newsletter, please send the information to EUPHA office.

Wishing you a wonderful return-to-work,

Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, EUPHA president, and Dineke Zeegers Paget, EUPHA executive director

2. EUPHA update

EUPHA publishes updated Facts and Fiction on e-cigs

Given the available evidence, EUPHA strongly supports the precautionary approach taken in the EU Tobacco Products Directive and in statements by WHO. It is not possible, at this point, to make any claims about the relative safety of e-cigs compared to traditional cigarettes. The overall effect may well be to worsen the tobacco epidemic first by deflecting smokers from using proven smoking cessation strategies and shifting them to e-cigs, which, for most smokers, reduce successful smoking cessation, and second by deflecting discussion from measures opposed by the tobacco industry. E-cigarettes are expanding the nicotine market by attracting youth who were at low risk of initiating nicotine use with conventional cigarettes, but many of whom are now moving on to those conventional cigarettes.  Even if they do not progress, promoting nicotine use to youth is bad public health policy.

Professorship for Aura Timen

The president of our section on Infectious diseases control, Dr Aura Timen, has been appointed as Professor 'Responses to communicable diseases in global health' at the VU University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We congratulate her on this new (part-time) position. 
 

New intern at EUPHA office

EUPHA office is very happy to welcome Mathilda Rudén to the office. Mathilda will join us from Monday 27 August till Friday 26 October. She will be working on the national newsletters including sustainable health goals. Mathilda just finished her master’s in Environmental Science with specialisation in Infectious Disease Control at Södertörn University in Stockholm. 

Changes in presidency of the EUPHA section on Food and nutrition

After 7 years of being the president of the EUPHA section on Food and nutrition, Christopher Birt is stepping down. EUPHA is very grateful for all his efforts to put all issues on food and nutrition on the European agenda. Last year, his section published the EUPHA report on diet, sustainability and health, which was very well received in Europe and beyond. Chris will stay on as vice president to the section. Tatjana Buzeti from Slovenia has taken over the presidency as of July this year. 

3. European Public Health Conference

Ljubljana 2018: deadline for early bird registration ends on 1 September

The European Public Health Conference Foundation, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and the 
Slovenian National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) invite you to join us at the 11th European Public Health Conference.

The main theme of the conference is ‘Winds of Change: towards new ways of improving public health in Europe’

Don't miss out on the early registration deadline for Ljubljana 2018. If you register before 1 September, the registration fee is reduced with €90. 

To register, go to: https://ephconference.eu/register-107 

Looking forward to seeing you in Ljubljana this November!

4. EUPHA members update

EUPHA statement on migration, ethnicity and health is translated into Finnish

The National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland has translated the EUPHA statement on migration, ethnicity and health into Finnish and have now published it on their website under the topic Immigrants and multiculturalism. The Finnish translation is available here. The original EUPHA statement (in English) is available here.

5. European Journal of Public Health

Volume 28, issue 4 (August 2018)

6. Call for proposals, job opportunities

IMI's new calls for proposals stimulate blockchain in healthcare

The new topics of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) aim to make clinical trials more digital, more patient-centric, contribute to medicine safety, and apply blockchain technologies to the drug development and health sectors.

EU-funded ACTIVAGE launches its first Open Call

The first ACTIVAGE open call will support third parties introducing complementary Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled technologies in existing deployment sites and within existing IoT platforms for active and healthy ageing.

The Human Brain Project seeks scientific chairs for 2019 workshops

The Human Brain Project (HBP)has launched a call for expression of interest to find scientific chairs to take over the scientific lead of its 2019 education workshops. These yearly workshops are addressed to Master, PhD and early post-doc students. Deadline to submit proposals to the call for expression of interest is 3 September.

International Foundation for Integrated Care are recruiting a Director of Programmes

The International Foundation for Integrated Care are recruiting a Director of Programmes to be based in the Oxford office in the UK and working to the CEO, Dr Nick Goodwin.
Working in collaboration with IFIC’s CEO and the senior management team (SMT), the Director of Integrated Care Programmes will be responsible for the development, oversight, coordination and organization of IFIC’s full portfolio of programmes. This will include leadership of IFIC’s education and training programme – the Integrated Care Academy© – IFIC’s research and development activities, and IFIC’s growing portfolio of implementation support work through its Integrated Care Solutions© initiative. The postholder will spearhead the formulation of IFIC’s policies in these areas, growing its portfolio of activities in a sustainable manner to ensure the continued delivery of high quality activities that benefit IFIC’s range of key beneficiaries. For more information and to download the job description please click here. The deadline for applications is 4 September 2018.

7. Interesting news

Relive the EHMA 2018 annual conference

The EHMA 2018 Annual Conference, titled "Making it Happen", was a gathering of healthcare managers, professionals, researchers and policy makers, held from 20th-22nd June at Semmelweis University, Hungary.

Higher alcohol taxes are cost-effective in reducing alcohol harms

Increasing taxes on alcohol is one of the most cost-effective methods of reducing the harms caused by alcohol consumption, according to new research.

Potential solutions to drug shortages and the lack of competition in generic medicines

A new article highlights the issues and recommend potential solutions. The incentives, regulations and new drug developments that the authors recommend could help to enhance competition and provide patients with reliable access to vital drugs.

Children are highly vulnerable to health risks of a changing climate

Children and adolescents are more vulnerable to climate-related disasters because of their anatomic, cognitive, immunologic, and psychologic differences compared to adults. Researchers set out some specific challenges associated with the impacts of climate change on the world's 2.3 billion children and suggest ways to address their under-prioritized needs.

Computer simulations predict the spread of HIV

In a new study, researchers show that computer simulations can accurately predict the transmission of HIV across populations, which could aid in preventing the disease.

The mobile apps and wearable tech tapping into users' emotions to tackle depression and anxiety

Personalised smartphone applications and wearable technologies that are attuned to the user’s state of mind are offering customised ways of helping people cope with mental illness.

Tapping into water's therapeutic power to cut health costs

Living close to bodies of water such as a river or even a fountain could help people be healthier while also reducing medical costs for governments, according to researchers

8. Upcoming courses and conferences

Going International is the first source for finding courses, seminars, congresses and other events in the fields of medicine & health. Going International is Europe’s biggest service provider and information platform and serves as an interface between organisers and participants of events. Going International is an official partner of EUPHA.

9. Interesting publications

The effects of exercise referral schemes in the United Kingdom in those with cardiovascular, mental health, and musculoskeletal disorders: a preliminary systematic review

HPV vaccine to be offered to boys in England

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance...

Pandemic influenza: 100 years

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1918-1919 global influenza pandemic. Explore the historical timeline and register to access world-leading influenza research.

Greece--the cost of recovery

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpu...

Embracing complexity in social epidemiology

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpu...

The fatal outcomes of failed prevention

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpu...

Built and natural environment planning principles for promoting health: an umbrella review

Linking quantitative demands to offshore wind workers' stress: do personal and job resources matter? A structural equation modelling approach

What is the experience of decentralized hospital governance in Europe?

http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/part...

Estonian health system review shows great progress and opportunities for improvement

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies has released a new health system review (HiT) on Estonia, highlighting the remarkable progress Estonia has made over the years, as well as identifying several opportunities for improvement.

The need for transparency of clinical evidence for medical devices in Europe

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance...

The Lancet-EASL Commission on liver diseases in Europe: overcoming unmet needs, stigma, and inequities

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance...

Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Published:August 23, 2018DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2

Understanding how outcomes are measured in workplace physical activity interventions: a scoping review

Contrasting patterns of overweight and thinness among preschool children of different ethnic groups in Norway, and relations with maternal and early life factors

Understanding child and parent perceptions of barriers influencing children's active school travel

Parental physical activity is associated with objectively measured physical activity in young children in a sex-specific manner: the GECKO Drenthe cohort

Examining the relationships between walkability and physical activity among older persons: what about stairs?

Supermarket retailers' perspectives on healthy food retail strategies: in-depth interviews

Gesundheitsreport zum Impfstatus der Kinder in Bayern - Health report on vaccination of children in Bavaria

This report on the measles vaccination data in Bavaria, Germany is available in German. It reports that in 2014, the vaccination rate of children up to 24 months was 96.2%. Even with this high number of vaccinations, measles outbreaks continue to occur at local level. 

Fruits and vegetables at home (FLAM): a randomized controlled trial of the impact of fruits and vegetables vouchers in children from low-income families in an urban district of France

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5908-5

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5971-y

10. European Commission news

Combatting HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis in the EU

The European Commission published a staff working document that provides an overview of EU policy initiatives and activities to help Member States meet the global sustainable development goal of ending the AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics by 2030 and to fight hepatitis and other communicable diseases.

EFSA report: Pesticides residues in food remain largely below legal limits

Europeans continue to eat food that is largely free of pesticide residues or which contains levels of residues within legal limits, the latest monitoring figures show. More than 96% of samples analysed for the latest annual report on pesticide residues in food were found to be within legal limits; around 51% were free of any quantifiable residues.

Global heatwave: Climate change is no longer a two-way debate - Dr Peter Stott

The pattern of heatwaves causing record breaking temperatures across the northern hemisphere would not be seen without climate change, and they have firmly focused the conversation on what we can do about it rather than whether it’s happening, according to Peter Stott, professor of detection and attribution of climate change at the University of Exeter, UK.

11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news

Eurosurveillance - Volume 23, Issue 31, 02 August 2018

Research article
Epidemiology and resistance phenotypes of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Greece, 2014 to 2016
 
Surveillance and outbreak report
A national measles outbreak in Ireland linked to a single imported case, April to September, 2016

Eurosurveillance - Volume 23, Issue 32, 09 August 2018

Rapid communication
An early start of West Nile virus seasonal transmission: the added value of One Heath surveillance in detecting early circulation and triggering timely response in Italy, June to July 2018
Early start of the West Nile fever transmission season 2018 in Europe

Surveillance and outbreak report
Healthcare-associated pneumonia in acute care hospitals in European Union/European Economic Area countries: an analysis of data from a point prevalence survey, 2011 to 2012
Research article
Lack of serological evidence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in virus exposed camel abattoir workers in Nigeria, 2016
 

Eurosurveillance - Volume 23, Issue 33, 16 August 2018

Surveillance and outbreak report

Hepatitis A outbreak disproportionately affecting men who have sex with men (MSM) in the European Union and European Economic Area, June 2016 to May 2017

Research article

Retrospective validation of whole genome sequencing-enhanced surveillance of listeriosis in Europe, 2010 to 2015

Eurosurveillance - Volume 23, Issue 34, 23 August 2018

Surveillance and outbreak report

Interconnected clusters of invasive meningococcal disease due toNeisseria meningitidisserogroup C ST-11 (cc11), involving bisexuals and men who have sex with men, with discos and gay-venues hotspots of transmission, Tuscany, Italy, 2015 to 2016

Research article

Genomic epidemiology of meticillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusST22 widespread in communities of the Gaza Strip, 2009

Letter

Letter to the editor: Measles cases among fully vaccinated persons

12. WHO news

World Breastfeeding Week: a mother's perspective on breastfeeding

Daria is a 26-year-old mother of 3, born and raised in Moscow, Russian Federation. When she met her now-husband Viktor, they quickly discovered that they both wanted to have a big family. Fortunately, they shared similar attitudes about parenting, including a firm belief in the value of breastfeeding, in line with international public health recommendations. 

Measles prevention, surveillance and control training in Republic of Moldova

Amid concerns about ongoing measles transmission in many countries of the WHO European Region, health professionals in the Transnistrian region were given updated information on the current measles situation as part of extended training on prevention, surveillance and control of the disease on 18 July 2018.

Second EVIPNet Europe cohort of countries to develop evidence-informed policy on AMR

Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Serbia are the 4 countries now set to start policy dialogues in 2019 with the goal of reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at national levels. Experts working on AMR and evidence-informed policy in these 4 countries recently attended a workshop where they learned how to develop evidence briefs for AMR policy. This workshop was jointly organized by the Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Europe operating under the umbrella of the WHO European Health Information Initiative (Division of Information, Evidence, Research and Innovation) and WHO/Europe’s Control of Antimicrobial Resistance Programme, Division of Health Emergencies and Communicable Diseases.

Public health service reform in Republic of Moldova: inspiring practices and lessons learned from Slovenia

On 16–19 July 2018, a group of high-level officials, policy-makers and senior managers from the Republic of Moldova made a study visit to Slovenia to learn more about the country’s experience in public health system transformation and its current organization.

Measles prevention, surveillance and control training in Republic of Moldova

Amid concerns about ongoing measles transmission in many countries of the WHO European Region, health professionals in the Transnistrian region were given updated information on the current measles situation as part of extended training on prevention, surveillance and control of the disease on 18 July 2018.

Spain's health system resilient despite economic crisis

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies has released a new health system review (HiT) on Spain. It details the resilience of the health system to the macroeconomic conditions of the last decade, and highlights the pending structural reforms to improve chronic care management and the reallocation of resources to high-value interventions.

Report: Explorations of inequality: Childhood immunization

Author: World Health Organization
ISBN: 978-92-4-156561-5
Published online: July, 2018
 
A WHO report launched in July 2018 describes how a child’s likelihood of being vaccinated is affected by socioeconomic, demographic and geographic factors. The report is based on international household health surveys conducted in 10 countries - Afghanistan, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Uganda - between 2012 and 2016. These countries face the most severe immunization challenges, and together account for more than 70% of children who do not get a full course of basic vaccines.
In each country, childhood immunization coverage is broken down by multiple factors to show inequality according to child, mother, household and geographical characteristics. Then, the report employs multiple regression analysis to identify factors that are associated with immunization coverage. A multicountry assessment illustrates similarities and differences between countries. The findings of the report show how a child’s likelihood of being vaccinated is affected by compounding advantage or vulnerability; they also provide insight into how policies, programmes and practices can be targeted to promote universal childhood immunization coverage. Interactive visuals and tables accompany the report, enabling further exploration of the data.
To access to the full report click here.
More information and other interactive material  click here.