Newsletter – July 2020

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 our July newsletter with interesting publications for your summer readings. This newsletter includes updates from our members, the World Congress on Public Health, the European Commission, ECDC and WHO Europe. 

Wishing you a nice summer and pleasant reading, 

Dr Iveta Nagyova, EUPHA president and Dr Dineke Zeegers Paget, EUPHA executive director

2. EUPHA update

Europe should not cut back on the health budget, not now

Apply for EUPHA Fellowship Programme 2020

The deadline to submit an application for the EUPHA Fellowship Programme 2020 is approaching soon. Take this chance to be part of the World Congress on Public Health (www.wcph2020.com). Submit your application no later than August 1st 23:59 CEST.

Get more information on this great opportunity for PhD students and other early career researchers here: https://tinyurl.com/EUPHAfellowshipprogramme2020… 

EUPHA at the World Congress on Public Health

We are less than three months away from the digital 16^th World Congress on Public Health.

We are proud to represent the European voice of public health at this important gathering with over 50 EUPHA led or co-led sessions including workshops, pre-conferences, World Leadership Dialogues and plenary sessions.

Join the conversation on social media at #WCPH2020 as well as #EUPHAatWCPH2020. Make sure you also follow @EUPHActs on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube to receive the latest updates. 

Oral statement on the WHO Europe’s draft European Programme of Work, 2020-2025: United action for better health in Europe

In a virtual meeting organised on 26 June by WHO Europe, several non-governmental organisations had the chance to reflect on their proposed European Programme of Work (EPW), 2020-2025. Our president, Dr Iveta Nagyova, took this opportunity to highlight our continued collaboration with WHO Europe. The draft EPW is in line with the new EUPHA strategy 2020-2025. Read the full statement here.

European Public Health Week webinar series

The EUPHA Urban public health section has created a great online resource from the European Public Health Week webinar series in collaboration with 

3. European Public Health Conference

World Congress on Public Health – WCPH2020

WCPH2020: GET CONNECTED TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
The 16th World Congress on Public Health (WCPH2020) goes virtual with over 3,000 abstracts from 100 countries accepted. Pre-conferences on 12 October. Daily sessions from 13-16 October from 7 am – 9 pm Central European Time. Live plenary sessions, live World Leadership Dialogues, live workshops, network lounges, chat boxes, Join the Networks, exhibition areas. Read more.
 
Congress track on Covid-19
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 control measures, the impact on health systems and the lessons to be learned from it. With contributions from WHO, Brazil, China, USA, Canada and many European countries. Read more.
 
Programme online
The full programme of WCPH2020, including the parallel programme of workshops, oral presentations and posters is online. If you want to access the online programme you have to use your EUPHA/EPH Conference account details. If you do not have an account with EUPHA/EPH Conference, you have to create one here. 
 
Pre-conferences at WCPH2020
Pre-conferences are held on Monday 12 October 2020. Pre-conferences are payable sessions, registration is required. [email protected].
 
Plenary speakers update:
We are excited to announce the following speakers:

•   Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General World Health Organization
•   Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
•   Roberto Speranza, Minister of Health, Italy
•   Iveta Nagyova, President EUPHA
•   Sheila Tlou, Co-chair of Global HIV Prevention Coalition and among 100 most influential women in Africa
•   Sabina F. Rashid, Dean BRAC School of Public Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh
•   George Benjamin, Executive Director American Public Health Association, United States
•   Katherine Trebeck, Advocacy and Influencing Lead, Wellbeing Economy Alliance

 
Registration: early bird fees until 5 August
Registration fees for the virtual congress has been significantly reduced as to offer everyone the possibility to join the global public health community at WCPH 2020. Reduced fees are available for EUPHA and WFPHA members, attendees from emerging countries and students. Register now to benefit from standard fees until 5 August. More information and registration here.
 
GET CONNECTED TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE; GET CONNECTED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

4. EUPHA members update

Public Health Law and Ethics and Covid 19 – UK Faculty of Public Health

As the pandemic situation unfolds, better understanding of law, regulation, and professional and social ethics has become increasingly important particularly for health professionals. The UK Faculty of Public Health in collaboration with legal scholars at the University of Bristol, Cardiff and Edinburgh, and Queen’s University Belfast, has published a set of briefings for health professionals on laws, regulations and guidance on the Covid 19 pandemic for each of the four Nations in the UK. The briefings as well as a general briefing for the public can be accessed freely through the following link:  https://bit.ly/3eaM1Sg  

These reports provide health professionals with an overview of key legal and regulatory responses to COVID-19, and how they affect important areas of health and social care. They explain the laws and links to further sources related to professionals’rights and duties to help guide their decision-making.

The Faculty has also issued a statement on ethics and public health planning in the face of Covid 19: https://www.fph.org.uk/media/2922/fph-statement-of-public-health-ethics-and-covid-19.pdf. This highlights the key role of ethics for health professionals in tackling the pandemic.

For further information please contact [email protected].

5. European Journal of Public Health

Advance articles – July 2020

Is impending or actual death of a spouse with dementia bad for mental health? Antidepressant use surrounding widowhood
Elina Einiö, Niina Metsä-Simola, Saska Saarioja, Pekka Martikainen, Kaarina Korhonen
Erratum to: Health research and knowledge translation for achieving the sustainable development goals: tackling the hurdles
Is the COVID-19 pandemic turning into a European food crisis?
Veronica Toffolutti, David Stuckler, Martin McKee
The EU and the social determinants of health in a post-COVID world
Aaron Reeves
Social determinants of health and inequalities in COVID-19
Bo Burström, Wenjing Tao
EU health law and policy in and after the COVID-19 crisis
Scott Greer, Anniek de Ruijter
Will COVID-19 lead to a major change of the EU Public Health mandate? A renewed approach to EU’s role is needed
Timo Clemens, Helmut Brand
Victims of medical errors and the problems they face: a prospective comparative study among the Dutch population
Peter G van der Velden, Carlo Contino, Arno J Akkermans, Marcel Das
Identifying patterns of lifestyle behaviours among children of 3 years old
Lu Wang, Wilma Jansen, Amy van Grieken, Eline Vlasblom, Magda M Boere-Boonekamp, Monique P L’Hoir, Hein Raat
Sociodemographic and gender determinants of late-life suicide in users and non-users of antidepressants
Khedidja Hedna, Gunnel Hensing, Ingmar Skoog, Johan Fastbom, Margda Waern
Cumulated and most recent job control and risk of disability pension in the Danish Work Life Course Cohort (DaWCo)
Elisabeth Framke, Annemette Coop Svane-Petersen, Anders Holm, Hermann Burr, Maria Melchior, Børge Sivertsen, Stephen Stansfeld, Jeppe Karl Sørensen, Marianna Virtanen, Reiner Rugulies, Ida E H Madsen
Non-parental care in childhood and health up to 30 years later: ONS Longitudinal Study 1971–2011
Emily T Murray, Rebecca Lacey, Barbara Maughan, Amanda Sacker
Detection of anti-HEV antibodies and RNA of HEV in pigs from a hyperendemic Italian region with high human seroprevalence
Camillo Martino, Elisa Rampacci, Ilaria Pierini, Monica Giammarioli, Valentina Stefanetti, Doreene R Hyatt, Andrea Ianni, Giovanni Di Paolo, Mauro Coletti, Fabrizio Passamonti

6. Call for proposals, job opportunities

Call to participate in questionnaire on the use and impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and digital tools to increase vaccine uptake and ultimately vaccination coverage in Europe

The EUPHA Infectious diseases control section and the EUPHA Digital health section are supporting this project. The overall aim of the project is to collect and share European best practices on the topic. 

We anticipate it won’t take more than 20 minutes to fill in the questionnaire and your collaboration is highly appreciated. 

2020 EU Health Award – Submit your initiatives promoting childhood vaccination or healthy lifestyles among children by 16 September!

Due to the challenges posed by COVID-19, the deadline for submissions for the 2020 EU Health Award has been extended until 16 September. Click on the link to find out who is eligible, what the criteria is and what the prizes are!

https://ec.europa.eu/health/award/home_e…

7. Interesting news

How can EU health policy better address COVID-19?

Dr Paul De Raeve, General Secretary of the European Federation of Nurses Associations, explores how the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for a European Health Union.

https://www.healtheuropa.eu/how-can-eu-h...

EU health organisations react to cuts in EU health programme amidst ongoing COVID-19 crisis: the time to invest in a healthy future is now

After several days of debates and compromises, the European Council reached a crucial agreement on the budget underlying the COVID-19 recovery and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) on Tuesday 21 July. The deal, however, represents a substantial setback for health at European level. […] Read the full joint statement here. 

Discover the TO-REACH Strategic Research Agenda

TO-REACH’s Agenda has identified the needs of health services and systems for a strategic research approach. We developed a new partnership model for a shared approach to health and here are some snippets! How was the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) created?

https://to-reach.eu/our-strategic-resear...

Vulnerable workers and dangerous substances: Info sheet now available in several languages

Workplace risk assessment and prevention measures for dangerous substances need to target groups of workers with specific needs and higher levels of risk. These groups include inexperienced or uninformed workers, such as young or temporary workers, as well as those who are physically more vulnerable, such as pregnant workers.
EU-OSHA’s info sheet on vulnerable workers and dangerous substances is now available in 11 languages. It explains employers’ responsibilities, highlights which groups of workers are particularly vulnerable, and explains how to take account of their needs through risk assessment and prevention measures.

Read the info sheet

Covid-19 could kill more people through hunger than the virus itself, warns Oxfam

Read Oxfam media briefing

8. Upcoming courses and conferences

9. Interesting publications

Psychosocial determinants predicting long-term sickness absence: a register-based cohort study

https://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2020/…

Education and wealth inequalities in healthy ageing in eight harmonised cohorts in the ATHLOS consortium: a population-based study

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

Increased generalized anxiety, depression and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Germany

https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/arti…

The environmental footprint of health care: a global assessment

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpl…

Diversification in causes of death in low-mortality countries: emerging patterns and implications

https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/7/e002414

Is global dietary change an effective strategy to curb climate change?

https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/…

Food & mood: a review of supplementary prebiotic and probiotic interventions in the treatment of anxiety and depression in adults

https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/…

Epidemiologic relationship between periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus

https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/…

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Italy: knowledge, management of patients and clinical experience of Italian dentists during the spread of contagion

https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/…

Preventing and managing COVID-19 across long-term care services: Policy brief, 24 July 2020

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/…

2020 Cancer incidence and mortality in EU-27 countries

The JRC released the 2020 estimates on the burden of cancer in the EU. Female breast cancer is still estimated to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer. The cancer burden is estimated to have risen to 2.7 million new cases (all types, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and 1.3 million deaths in 2020.

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/2020-ca…

Strengthening health systems resilience: key concepts and strategies (2020)

Why have some health systems coped better than others during the COVID-19 pandemic? Some answers might become clear if we could assess how resilient health systems are in response to crises or shocks, such as the current pandemic and other emergencies, including financial ones. The Observatory has just published a new policy brief, “Strengthening health systems resilience: Key concepts and strategies”, which includes a framework to help policy-makers understand health system resilience and how to strengthen it. This policy brief highlights the key features of resilience and provides examples of strategies which have been applied in different countries.

https://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/par…

10. European Commission news

Workshop: safe use of medicines during pregnancy and breastfeeding

EMA is hosting a virtual workshop with its Patient and Consumers’ Working Party (PCWP) and Healthcare Professionals’ Working Party (HCPWP) on Tuesday 22 September to gather views from stakeholders on their experiences, concerns and expectations regarding the safe use of medicines by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. These insights will inform the development and implementation of a strategy on medicine safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding. […] Participation in this virtual meeting room is subject to prior application. Available places at the workshop will be distributed to stakeholders depending on their EU-wide representation and/or expressed motivation to contribute to the discussion.

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/worksh...

EU strengthens measures for short-term health preparedness for future outbreaks of COVID-19

John F. Ryan, Director of Public Health, Country Knowledge and Crisis Management for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, says that the European Commission is taking measures to ensure the short-term health preparedness for future outbreaks of COVID-19 in the EU. Read more here.

Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases holds meeting

The Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases discussed the EU4Health Programme, Horizon Europe and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Representatives of 27 Member States, Norway and Iceland attended. Read the flash report of the meeting here. 

11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news

Eurosurveillance – Volume 25, Issue 29, 23 July 2020

Rapid communication
A large COVID-19 outbreak in a high school 10 days after schools’ reopening, Israel, May 2020
Research
Transmission of viral hepatitis through blood transfusion in Sweden, 1968 to 2012

Letter
Letter to the editor: Generation interval for COVID-19 based on symptom onset data
Authors’ response: Estimating the generation interval for COVID-19 based on symptom onset data
Author’s correction
Authors’ correction for Euro Surveill. 2020;25(18)
Miscellaneous
Job vacancies at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Eurosurveillance – Volume 25, Issue 26, 02 July 2020

Rapid communication
Excess all-cause mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe – preliminary pooled estimates from the EuroMOMO network, March to April 2020
Introductions and early spread of SARS-CoV-2 in France, 24 January to 23 March 2020
Research
Independent, external validation of clinical prediction rules for the identification of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, January 2010 to December 2016

Miscellaneous
Rapid risk assessment from ECDC: Resurgence of reported cases of COVID-19 in the EU/EEA, the UK and EU candidate and potential candidate countries

Eurosurveillance – Volume 25, Issue 27, 09 July 2020

Rapid communication
International external quality assessment for SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection and survey on clinical laboratory preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic, April/May 2020
Research
Proxy indicators to estimate appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions by general practitioners: a proof-of-concept cross-sectional study based on reimbursement data, north-eastern France 2017

Perspective
Infectious disease surveillance system descriptors: proposal for a comprehensive set

Eurosurveillance – Volume 25, Issue 28, 16 July 2020

Rapid communication
Convalescent plasma treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection: analysis of the first 436 donors in England, 22 April to 12 May 2020SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence in blood donors located in three different federal states, Germany, March to June 2020
All-cause excess mortality observed by age group and regions in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England
Research
Monoclonal antibodies for the S2 subunit of spike of SARS-CoV-1 cross-react with the newly-emerged SARS-CoV-2
Different guidelines for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) eligibility estimate HIV risk differently: an incidence study in a cohort of HIV-negative men who have sex with men, Portugal, 2014–2018

12. WHO news

Turkey agree to set up new WHO centre of excellence for emergency preparedness

During a visit to Turkey on 8–10 July, at the invitation of Dr Fahrettin Koca, Turkey’s Minister of Health, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge signed the financial agreement with Turkey to establish a new WHO Centre of Excellence for Preparedness for Humanitarian and Health Emergencies.

https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topic.. 

Countries commit to meeting SDGs in face of pandemic

Countries from across the WHO European Region took part in the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on 7–16 July 2020. Many delivered voluntary national reviews (VNRs), part of the follow-up and review mechanism of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topic...

WHO report on violence and injuries reveals grim statistics on preventable deaths

A new report from WHO highlights that violence and injuries are a leading cause of death in all countries of the WHO European Region, regardless of economic status. In the time that it takes to read this news item, 2 people will have died a violent and traumatic death in the Region. Continue reading here. 

WHO helps reshape hospitals as COVID-19 eases its grip

In a COVID-19 world, many hospitals need to rethink how they use their space. Italy is one of the first countries making adjustments as outpatient clinics and non-emergency services reopen. Read more  

Public Health Panorama, Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2020

Public Health Panorama provides a platform to scientists and public health practitioners for the publication of lessons learned from the field, as well as original research work, to facilitate the use of evidence and good practice for public health action.
Read the lastest issue here.

Non-State actors share views on WHO/Europe’s forthcoming European Programme of Work

WHO/Europe held its first-ever virtual consultation with non-State actors (NSAs) as part of the open consultation process of the European Programme of Work (EPW) “United action for better health”.
Opening the session, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge explained that during his career in public health around the world he has learned the power of “positive partnership”, and welcomed the input of NSAs to the consultation process.

https://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/reg…

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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