Newsletter August 2005

August 2005 newsletter

Welcome to the August 2005 edition of the EPHA newsletter.
Traditionally this is a quiet month, with many offices closed and much of the EU institutions empty.
However for the EPHA Secretariat this has been a very busy period preparing forthcoming conferences, drafting policy papers and implementing a re-organisation of the staff structure.
The international conference organized by EPHA and several UK regions under the UK Presidency "Future Europeans - the right start in life for children (...)

Young people’s reproductive and sexual rights

EPHA is the Brussels-based partner of the project “SEXual Patients Rights Charter” (SEX-PARC) lead by the International Centre of Health Protection (HERA) based in Russia.
The project is funded under the European Commission Tacis Institution Building Partnership Programme (IBPP),
The main aim of the project is the development and adoption of a Charter of Rights of Sexual Patients for the promotion of sustainable health and social care system rendering the beneficiaries as (...)

Alcohol Concern Annual Conference and AGM 2005

Alcohol Concern, an EPHA member, is holding its Annual Conference and AGM in London on Tuesday 1 November 2005.
The theme for the conference is ’Challenges and Changes: the new agenda for alcohol treatment’. It will look at the latest projects and policy developments, the research and evidence that underpin them and provide opportunities for asking questions and debating with key policy-makers.
There will be several keynote speakers including Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for (...)

EPHA briefing note on the proposed Health and Consumer programme 2007-2013

In April 2005 the European Commission published a proposal for a new Health and Consumer programme for the period 2007-2013.
A briefing note on the programme sets out the key framework and mechanisms proposed by the Commission and indicates some areas for improvement as the programme goes through the co-decision process in the European Parliament and the Council.
You can also consult in this website EPHA’s position paper on the Health and Consumer (...)

IDF position paper on the Health and Consumer Programme 2007-2013

The International Diabetes Federation - European region (IDF Europe) has published a position paper about the new Health and Consumer Programme for the period 2007-2013.
IDF Europe welcomes this new proposal and the focus on health determinants. However, IDF Europe is concerned that regular physical activites are not listed.
They also stress the importance of a coordinated focus on children and older people health. They want those two issues to be addressed more effectively by the (...)

EuroHealthNet publishes two reports on health inequalities and social exclusion

EuroHealthNet has published two reports, which represent the outcomes of a DG EMPL funded project on ’Tackling Health Inequalities and Social Exclusion in Europe’. The reports were written in the context of the EU’s Open Method of Coordination in the field of Social Inclusion. They aim to raise awareness amongst policy makers and practitioners of the significant contribution that the health sector can make to social inclusion, and to provide them with new ideas and inspiration on how to (...)

How to improve school nutrition?

The average diet of children in England is quite alarmist. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, children do eat more than twice the amount of saturated fat needed; more than twice salt and sugar needed; a quarter of fruits and vegetables needed;
In order to address this issue, the Welsh Food Alliance organises on the 02 and 23 September 2005 two round table discussions on school nutrition.
The aims are to raise awareness on school nutrition issues and to improve the (...)

Reducing water related diseases in Europe

85 million (10%) people living in the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region do not have access to improved sanitation and over 41 million (5%) still lack access to a safe drinking-water supply. Access to safe water has been recognised as a basic human right and yet, the WHO estimates that 13 500 children under 14 years of age die every year due to poor water conditions.
The entry into force of the first legally binding international agreement in the fight against water-related (...)

The European Commission re-thinks its communication activities

"Listen, communicate and go local" are the three themes of Margot Wallström, who presented on the 20 July 2005 the new European Commission Action plan for communication.
Against the backlash of the French and Dutch "no" to the Constitutional Treaty, the Commission vice-president of the EC is proposing 50 pragmatic actions aimed at improving its ability to communicate effectively to citizens (and voters).
Wallström plans a better use of the EC resources with:
a better coordination and (...)

Soft drinks may increase risk of childhood obesity

In a commentary entitled "Are soft drinks a scapegoat for childhood obesity?" by Robert Murray, MD, Barbara Frankowski, MD, PhD, and Hoard Taras, MD, AAP, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 146, Number 5 (May 2005), the link between soft drink consumption and childhood obesity is explored.
Through a review of prior research the authors provide perspective on the role of soft drinks in childhood obesity. They found that, although no single factor can be seen as a direct cause, (...)

New International Food Safety Guidelines

Safe Food International (SFI) has published a set of Guidelines for Consumer Organisations to Promote National Food Safety Systems. The Safe Food International Guidelines cover eight elements necessary for an effective national food safety programme.
Safe Food International is a project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a not-for-profit group based in Washington D.C. The project treats food safety issues on a global scale and sees such issues as increasingly relevant across (...)

EFSA highlights the dangers of eating too much salt

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on dietetic products, nutrition and allergies (NDA) has issued an opinion on the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Sodium, warning that salt increases blood pressure, a major risk factor in heart disease and premature death.
The panel stated that althoufh sodium is an essential nutrient, most Europeans’ daily intake of sodium (8-11g) far exceeds the daily recommended allowance of 1.5g. The major sources of sodium in diet are processed (...)

The publications of the UK "Westminster Diet & Health Forum"

The Westminster Diet & Health Forum is a forum set up by the British Parliament which aims to be an active and impartial environment where interested UK politicians and senior officials can discuss issues of public policy relating to diet and health with leaders from manufacturers, retailers and other industries associated with these areas, major interest groups, regulators and others.
The forum has a website where they publish papers on diet and health. The papers can be ordered by (...)

Avian Influenza monthly update - August 2005

Despite strong efforts to control the current epidemic of Avian Flu in South Asian countries, the H5N1 strain has increased its geographical range. It is getting closer to Europe, while various governments begin to consider the threat seriously.
Cases of infected chickens closer to Europe - Stabilisation of human cases
At the beginning of August, experts from the OIE (the World Organisation for Animal Health...) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) have (...)

Coordinating response to Influenza pandemic at EU level

*This article has been updated with details of the European Parliament activities.*
Given the current Avian Flu emergency in South Asia, the European Commission has taken two measures to address a potential Influenza pandemic at EU level: reviewing the Directive on Avian Influenza and designing a comprehensive integrated zoonoses strategy.
According to experts, the H5N1 strain that devastates South Asian poultries has the potential to spark off the next pandemic, to which humans have no (...)

Call for proposals for a European Global Health Network

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation regularly issues calls of proposals to reduce global inequalities in health.
They have recently updated their website with relevant information for grant seekers such as grantmaking strategies, areas of focus, or grantee profiles: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/
A New European Global Health Nertwork
In March 2005, EPHA was part of a large bid submitted to the Gates Foundation to set up a European network on global health. The NGO consortium (...)

What role for health care systems in reducing health inequalities?

Even a free access to health care services does not eliminate inequalities of access to health care services. Two studies attempt to address this paradox and understand the role of health care services with regard to health inequalities.
Researchers have formulated various hypotheses to explain this phenomenon, ranging from health determinants (eg nutrition, exercice, sedentarity), to risk behaviour and socio-economic conditions. However, the role played by health care systems has rarely (...)