Vaccines and Immunization

Release of ESWI Flu documentary

EPHA member the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI) has released an influenza documentary that covers all aspects of the disease, ranging from the characteristics of the flu virus itself to the impact of pandemic and epidemic influenza. The result is a highly attractive and informative influenza movie (38 min of length), which can be accessed free of charge in ESWI’s media library at the following address www.flucentre.org/media-library/ (title: Influenza - aiming (...)

EPHA Briefing on Children’s Health

This EPHA Briefing on Children’s Health aims to provide Members with an overview of important policy fields where such actions could be taken to adequately, timely, in line with "health in all policies" and with a lifecourse approach deal with social determinants of health inequalities in European societies. Children represent the present and the future of our societies, and to guarantee their healthy and optimal development ought to be a priority. Early childhood is a critical time. (...)

European Parliament stance on antimicrobial resistance

The European Parliament adopted a resolution requesting tighter controls on the use of antimicrobials - such as antibiotics. The resolution is non-binding on the EU and its Member States but gives a strong signal on what the European Parliament expects on the issue. The European Parliament adopted a resolution requesting tighter controls on the use of antimicrobials - such as antibiotics. The resolution is non-binding on the EU and its Member States but gives a strong signal on what the (...)

Fourth International Influenza Conference highlights gap between vaccination recommendations and practice

The Fourth International Influenza Conference in Malta underlined the need to forge closer links between science and policy, and to address the ongoing dichotomy between the recognised need to vaccinate at-risk groups and the reluctance of individuals - including health professionals - to comply with WHO and EU recommendations. EPHA was invited to attend the Fourth International Influenza Conference in Malta, which brought together leading scientists, academics, policy makers and industry (...)

European Commission public consultation on Public Health Threats

EPHA will be responding to the public consultation launched by the Commission on protecting citizens against crossborder public health threats. The submission deadline for responses is 29 April 2011. The aim of this consultation, managed by DG SANCO, is to seek the views of stakeholders on what action the European Commission should take to protect EU citizens more effectively against serious cross-border health threats. The Council of the European Union invited Member States in 2010 to (...)

€ 10 million to fight epidemic outbreaks in developing countries

On 30 September, the European Commission announced that it would earmark €10 million from its humanitarian aid budget to reduce the impact of epidemics on vulnerable people in developing countries and finance emergency operations that treat outbreaks of communicable diseases. These funds will help 3,600,000 individuals who live in areas at high risk of epidemics to receive proper protection against diseases. These individuals are exposed to a high level of risk to their health and (...)

Raising the bar for EU action on childhood immunisation

A group of MEPs and public health expertmet on Wednesday, 28 April 2010 in order to give renewed impetus to efforts to ensure universal vaccination of European children, in the context of European Immunisation Week. The stakeholder luncheon, held at the European Parliament, was hosted by Karin Kadenbach MEP (Austria, S&D) and featured guest speakers Dr Pierre Van Damme, Professor of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Antwerp, Dr Heidi Larson, Principal Research (...)

Council of the European Union recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination

On 22 December 2009, the Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation encouraging member states to implement action plans to improve seasonal influenza vaccination coverage. **Update Council of the European Union adopts recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination** The Council of the EU calls for "concerted action" at the EU level of the in order to minimize the impact of seasonal influenza by encouraging vaccination among risk groups and healthcare workers. The main (...)

Guidelines on the Use of Pandemic H1N1 Vaccines

The European Medicines Agency has reviewed preliminary data from clinical trials on pandemic flu vaccinations. The clinical trials are ongoing and updates will be provided as data are received. The results will be sent to the European Commission. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) at the European Medicines Agency has reviewed early data from clinical trials for the three approved vaccines for the pandemic flu. The Committee’s conclusion was that the (...)

New advice from WHO on vaccination for H1N1

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, which advises WHO on policies and strategies for vaccines and immunization, devoted a session of its 27–29 October meeting to pandemic influenza vaccines. The experts reviewed the current epidemiological situation of the pandemic worldwide and considered issues and options from a public health perspective. Items on the agenda included the status of vaccine availability, results from clinical trials on vaccine (...)