Newsletter - April 2020

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

1. Editorial

Welcome to the April newsletter of EUPHA. We hope you are keeping well.

In this newsletter we present the latest COVID-19 updates. The countdown to the European Public Health Week (11-15 May 2020) has started and an important decision has been made for the World Congress on Public Health: the congress will go virtual. Furthermore, this month we welcomed a new institutional member: Department of Medicine and Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus.

Wishing you a pleasant reading and stay safe,
Dr Iveta Nagyova, EUPHA president and Dr Dineke Zeegers Paget, EUPHA executive director 

2. EUPHA update

EUPHA statement on Combatting COVID-19: the importance of sharing knowledge to create a comprehensive and publicly available evidence-base

The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting everyone worldwide, and policymakers, scientists and practitioners are exploring uncharted territory while trying to get to grips with this new virus. Especially in such times of great uncertainty, building on up-to-date and accurate information is crucial. Therefore, EUPHA released a statement on the importance of sharing data, research outcomes and experiences to build a common, growing body of intelligence. A comprehensive and publicly available evidence-base is key when battling the outbreak and saving lives.

E-collection: Ageing and health

The ageing of the population, occurring worldwide, leads to increased prevalence of chronic diseases and disability, yet, at the same time it offers opportunities for long and healthy lives for people. This can be seen from two perspectives: on the one hand, people live longer and to a large extent healthier. Many people can work longer, travel for leisure and practice sports. On the other hand, the current COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that older people are especially in need of protection as they are more vulnerable to illness and diseases. The e-collection Health and ageing lists scientific peer-reviewed papers on healthy ageing that are published in the European Journal of Public Health in the past three years. The e-collection is accompanied by an editorial describing the policy links and summarising the evidence.
This e-collection is supported by EUPHA as part of the activity to support its member, the Croatian Public Health Association. During the first half of 2020 Croatia holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. On the presidency's agenda is healthy ageing. With this e-collection EUPHA and the Croatian Public Health Association present the evidence-base on health and ageing.

EUPHA Health Workforce Research Section Online Mid-term Conference,18-19 June 2020

How to make a future health workforce happen? The renewed online programme is now available. 

3. European Public Health Week

Countdown to the European Public Health Week (11-15 May 2020)!

Host an event: Is your country on the EUPHW calendar yet?

Deadline extended! You can submit your activity by 6 May. 

We prepared a 10-step guide for webinar hosts including tips to disseminate any kind of event

If you have registered an event, make sure your event summary describes how others can register and find you. 

Spread the word

• COVID-19, Sustainable Development Goals, primary care, mental health, health equality and healthy ageing. Help us disseminate key messages from this year’s 6 EUPHW themes
• We have new social media visuals that you can share, adapt and translate. Check our media toolkit for all resources

Join events

• Lectures, webinars, movie screenings, cooking or workout classes & much more! Pick your diary and note down the events you want to join between 11 and 15 May, in multiple languages. Make sure you register or ask your event host for information
• Don’t miss the kick-off webinar “Joining forces for healthier populations” on 11 May 9:30-11:00 CEST with a rich panel of 11 Speakers from European public health organisations. Register here

More information
Contact Débora Miranda at euphacommunications@eupha.org or visit www.eupha.org/EUPHW

4. European Public Health Conference

16th World Congress on Public Health moved into VIRTUAL Congress

These are unprecedented times that require unprecedented measures. The coronavirus pandemic is having its repercussions on the way the international scientific community is organizing its meetings as well. The nationwide lockdowns imposed on many countries have already required the cancellation or postponement of several global congresses. It is in this light that the Congress Management Committee (CMC) has decided to move the 16th World Congress on Public Health (WCPH) into a virtual congress to be held 12 – 17 October 2020. What this entails for all planned congress activities will be discussed in the coming weeks. We will inform you as soon as we have more information.
As a leading public health event, we cannot risk spreading the Covid-19 virus further by physically bringing people together in one congress venue in October. The CMC sees the virtual congress not as a limited event of webinars but as an engaging event with integrated live streams and pre-recorded sessions, Q&As, live polling, and networking. It will make the virtual event come to life, offering a virtual exhibition area, interactive e-learning classrooms, interaction with other participants through chat boxes, and social events.

Programme
When the WCPH actually takes place in October it is more relevant than ever. As the world confronts the coronavirus, the sharing of knowledge becomes ever more important, and the WCPH is the place to do it. A dedicated Covid-19 track will be featured, covering the latest on epidemiology, surveillance, policies and impact of control measures. But we will also focus on other pressing challenges: climate change, food and water supply, poverty and inequalities. The theme of the congress remains unchanged: ‘Public Health for the Future of Humanity: Analysis, Advocacy, and Action’. We hope to provide you with more news on our website in the coming weeks.

Abstract submission results postponed
We will inform our abstract submitters by mid-May about the new format of the congress and what it entails for their presentation. This applies to all types of abstracts: single presentation, workshops and pre-conferences. We remain committed to publish accepted abstracts in the Abstract Supplement of the European Journal of Public Health.

***WARNING***
We received reports that a conference on Public Health, Epidemiology and infectious Diseases is organized in Rome in October by The Experts Meet. We would like to point out that we, as organizers of the 16th World Congress on Public Health, are in no way involved in this event.

5. EUPHA members update

Position statement COVID-19 crisis by German Society of Medical Sociology

The Germany Society of Medical Sociology has issued a position statement regarding the COVID-19 crisis. You can find the statement in the link.

New institutional member: Department of Medicine and Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus

We are happy to welcome the Department of Medicine and Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus into our network. 
The Department of Medicine aims to educate medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in accordance with the highest professional standards; to train competent and caring physicians to practice patient-centered medicine of the highest standard; and to identify and answer fundamental questions in the mechanisms, prevention and treatment of disease, in health care delivery and in the basic biomedical sciences. 

6. European Journal of Public Health

Volume 30, Issue 2, April 2020

EDITORIALS
How can evidence and strategies influence policies?
Pekka Puska
Prevention policy: good news and bad news from France
François Alla, Linda Cambon

7. Call for proposals, job opportunities

W2 tenure track professorship in public health evaluation at LMU Munich

Applications are invited for a W2 tenure track professorship in public health evaluation, located at the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research at the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich. In addition to the aspects mentioned in the call, we offer established research and policy and practice networks from local to global levels, including well-established collaborations with the City of Munich and the Bavarian State Office of Health and Food Safety and links to the WHO - in April 2020 the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research was appointed as a WHO Collaborating Center for Evidence-based Public Health. We address a broad spectrum of topics with a focus on Complex Interventions in Complex Systems, Public Health Nutrition, Public Mental Health and Environmental Health. German language skills are helpful in view of the local public health landscape under the umbrella of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health, but not essential in view of the international orientation of our research activities.
Interested applicants can contact Prof Eva Rehfuess, Chair of Public Health and Health Services research, LMU Munich, Email rehfuess@ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de

Call for stories: We want to hear your experiences with delivering mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Mental Health Innovation Network, in collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at the World Health Organization, is creating a blog series to share experiences of front line workers and health systems with the aim of supporting others engaged in similar work. We would like to invite you to make a submission if you are part of a team working in or with your healthcare system in delivering mental health support. This is a great opportunity to highlight Europe’s critical role in sharing mental health and social care best practices in dealing with the pandemic.
We would like to learn about:

• the pandemic’s effect on the mental health of the general population in your area and that of your service users more specifically,
• the challenges you have faced in providing mental health services during this time of disruption,
• the innovations and activities you have initiated to address those challenges,
• and any recommendations you have for other mental health and social care providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

To make a submission please email mhin@lshtm.ac.uk and salag@who.int with the subject heading ‘Submission for mental health experiences and practices at times of service disruption’.
More detail on the call is available here in English, Spanish, Italian and French.

8. Interesting news

Connecting Communities: for COVID-19

The connecting communities newsletters including interesting news on public policies, healthcare innovations, isolation tips and more.

Pandemic parlance: public health needs new language for the coronavirus pandemic

Words matter. If officials want people to buy into lifestyle changes, they need to use more inviting terminology say Joanne Silberner and Howard Frumkin
Read the article

9. Upcoming courses and conferences

10. Interesting publications

Multilevel Modelling for Public Health and Health Services Research: Health in Context.

Alastair Leyland and Peter Groenewegen. Springer Open March 2020. 

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health special issue on 'Health Promotion and Sport'

A flyer with a message from the guest editors and Editor-in-Chief can be found here.

Special Issue of the Journal of Public health on 'public health ethics and the science of social justice'

The Journal of Public Health has recently published a special issue on “Public Health Ethics and the Science of Social Justice”, edited by two members of the Faculty’s Ethics Committee. The issue, which was collated prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, explains and contextualises what it means to understand ethics for, in, and of public health. The special issue’s broad approach reminds us of the importance of public health considerations within and beyond questions concerning contagious disease, and promotes understanding of how ethical deliberations feature in public health policy and practice. The press release can be found here.

The Fourth edition of the European Network for Health Technology Assessment Forum - highlights and outcomes

The European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) organizes an annual Forum with stakeholders to receive feedback on its activities, processes, and outputs produced. The fourth edition of the EUnetHTA Forum brought together representatives of HTA bodies, patient organizations, healthcare professionals (HCPs), academia, payers, regulators, and industry. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the highlights presented at the 2019 EUnetHTA Forum, reporting the main items and themes discussed in the plenary panel and breakout sessions. The leading topic was the concept of unmet medical need seen from different stakeholders’ perspectives. Breakout sessions covered the joint production of assessment reports and engagement with payers, patients, and HCPs. Synergies, pragmatism, and inclusiveness across Member States and stakeholders were emphasized as leading factors to put in place a collaboration that serves the interest of patients and public health in a truly European spirit.

What Other Countries Can Learn From Italy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Italy has been hit very hard, with 110 574 documented cases and 13 155 documented deaths related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as of April 1, 2020. The number of cases and deaths cannot be explained simply because of the epidemic starting in Italy earlier compared with other countries besides China. It is important to understand why death rates were so high in Italy to learn how to best prepare and how to plan for optimal actions in other countries. Some contributing factors may be immutable (eg, age structure of the population), but even these need to be laid out carefully in preparedness assessments. Some other contributing factors are potentially modifiable.
Read the full viewpoint on JAMA Internal medicine.

Japan's HPV vaccine crisis: act now to avert cervical cancer cases and deaths

Partnering to promote public health across the Mediterranean

11. European Commission news

Coronavirus: Commission launches data sharing platform for researchers

On 20 April 2020, the European Commission together with several partners launched a European COVID-19 Data Platform to enable the rapid collection and sharing of available research data. The platform, part of the ERAvsCorona Action Plan, marks another milestone in the EU's efforts to support researchers in Europe and around the world in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

ERNs and COVID-19

In the context of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission launched the COVID-19 Clinical Management Support System (CMSS). The aim is to support doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in hospitals that are currently dealing with COVID-19 cases all over the EU, UK and the EEA countries. This system allows for professionals to communicate easily with colleagues, exchange knowledge, discuss cases and improve training, namely via webinars.

Coronavirus: Commission adopts Recommendation to support exit strategies through mobile data and apps

On 8 April 2020, the Commission recommended steps and measures to develop a common EU approach for the use of mobile applications and mobile data in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Digital tools can play an important role in the gradual lifting of containment measure when the time will be ripe for that if they are compliant with EU rules and well-coordinated. The Recommendation sets out a process towards the adoption with the Member States of a toolbox, focusing on two dimensions:
1. a pan-European coordinated approach for the use of mobile applications for empowering citizens to take effective and more targeted social distancing measures and for warning, preventing and contact tracing and
2. a common approach for modelling and predicting the evolution of the virus through anonymised and aggregated mobile location data.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscor...

Medical Devices Regulation: Commission welcomes Council support to prioritise the fight against coronavirus

23 April 2020: The European Commission welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament and the Council of the proposal to postpone by one year the date of application of the Medical Devices Regulation. This will allow all key players - Member States, health institutions and economic operators to give priority to the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, forming a key position in the timing of the lifting of confinement measures as Member States return to the road of recovery.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscor...

12. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news

Eurosurveillance - Volume 25, Issue 13, 02 April 2020

Rapid communication
Whole genome and phylogenetic analysis of two SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated in Italy in January and February 2020: additional clues on multiple introductions and further circulation in Europe
Only strict quarantine measures can curb the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Italy, 2020
Indications for healthcare surge capacity in European countries facing an exponential increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, March 2020
Understanding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) risk perceptions among the public to enhance risk communication efforts: a practical approach for outbreaks, Finland, February 2020
Review
The impact of unplanned school closure on children’s social contact: rapid evidence review
Perspective
Specialist laboratory networks as preparedness and response tool - the Emerging Viral Diseases-Expert Laboratory Network and the Chikungunya outbreak, Thailand, 2019

Eurosurveillance - Volume 25, Issue 14, 09 April 2020

Editorial
A hundred days into the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
Rapid communication
An alternative workflow for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 – escape from the NA extraction kit-shortage, Copenhagen, Denmark, March 2020
Roll-out of SARS-CoV-2 testing for healthcare workers at a large NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, March 2020
Excess cases of influenza-like illnesses synchronous with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, France, March 2020
Surveillance
Increasing trends of lymphogranuloma venereum among HIV-negative and asymptomatic men who have sex with men, the Netherlands, 2011 to 2017
Author's correction
Authors’ correction for Euro Surveill. 2020;25(3)

Eurosurveillance - Volume 25, Issue 15, 16 April 2020

Rapid communication
Detection of the United States Neisseria meningitidis urethritis clade in the United Kingdom, August and December 2019 – emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance calls for vigilance
Public health response to two imported, epidemiologically related cases of Lassa fever in the Netherlands (ex Sierra Leone), November 2019
Potential lethal outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among the elderly in retirement homes and long-term facilities, France, March 2020
Review
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a scoping review
Letter
SARS-CoV2 infection and primary school closure

Eurosurveillance - Volume 25, Issue 16, 23 April 2020

Rapid communication
Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020
Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) early findings from a teaching hospital in Pavia, North Italy, 21 to 28 February 2020
Research
Serological assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), March 2020
Epidemiological characteristics of the first 53 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong, 13 February 2020
Clostridioides difficile in national food surveillance, Slovenia, 2015 to 2017
Two multi-fragment recombination events resulted in the β-lactam-resistant serotype 11A-ST6521 related to Spain^9V-ST156 pneumococcal clone spreading in south-western Europe, 2008 to 2016
Miscellaneous
European Immunization Week 2020: European Vaccination Information Portal launched

13. WHO news

Public Health Panorama, Volume 6, Issue 1, March 2020

Public Health Panorama is a peer-reviewed, bilingual (English–Russian), openaccess journal published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. This is the latest edition Arts and health: creative solutions to complex challenges.

COVID-19 pandemic

Visit WHO Europe's COVID-19 website for latest updates and complete collection of epidemiological data, technical guidance, and protection advice. 

European Immunization Week, 20-26 April 2020

Countries working to sustain population immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases during COVID-19 pandemic
27 April
Countries across the WHO European Region are utilizing guidance from WHO/Europe to include immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) as an essential health service during the current COVID-19 pandemic. WHO has called on countries to ensure that immunization is maintained wherever possible and surveillance for VPDs remains undisrupted during the ongoing pandemic.

Maintaining routine immunization services vital during the COVID-19 pandemic
20 April
Joint WHO and UNICEF press note to mark European Immunization Week 2020The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder that infectious diseases know no borders. All countries are vulnerable, regardless of income levels or the strength of their health care systems. Across the European Region, where tens of millions of people have been living in lockdown for weeks, and over 100,000 people have died, the speed and devastation of the novel coronavirus has completely upended lives.
Vaccination must be maintained during COVID-19 pandemic to be effective
20 April
Statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, on the occasion of European Immunization Week 2020, We are living through an exceptional time, when every one of us has been called upon to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The COVID-19 situation in the European Region remains very concerning.

This newsletter received co-funding under an operating grant from the European Union’s Health Programme (2014-2020). The content of this newsletter represents the views of the author(s) only and is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

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