Ensuring global access to proven interventions – including vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics, as well as prioritising the development of new health technologies – requires an assessment of whether the improvement in health outcomes they offer exceeds the improvement in health that would have been possible if the resources required had, instead, been made available for […]
Putting a value on improvements to health Read More »
Antibiotic resistance is widespread across the whole of Europe. High resistance, often seen in the southern and eastern countries of the European Union, is also found in the eastern part of the European Region. In particular, resistant bacteria are spreading in hospitals and health care settings, putting patients at risk of contracting incurable diseases. This
Resistant bacteria spreading in hospitals across Europe Read More »
The European Commission’s Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health has just been renewed for three more years, running until May 2019. The aim of the Panel is to provide the Commission with independent advice from a variety of sectors to support modern, responsive and sustainable health systems. The Panel’s new members cover
Effective, accessible and resilient health systems Read More »
A new WHO report provides insight into how countries in the WHO European Region can improve access and reduce medicine prices through strategic and well-planned procurement processes. It also addresses collaboration within and across countries to improve availability of affordable medicines for patients in the Region. Countries in the Region have varying capacity and negotiating
Improving access to medicines Read More »
Toxoplasmosis, caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is estimated to affect more than 2 million people every year in the European Region. Although most people do not have symptoms, if a woman becomes infected just before or early in her pregnancy, it can have very serious health consequences for her child. Toxoplasma can be acquired
Toxoplasmosis: greater awareness needed Read More »
14 people die every day in the pan-European region, due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. In response a Protocol on Water and Health has been developed which urges an holistic approach to water, sanitation and health, enabling countries to use the Protocol as a tool to implement Strategic Development Goals SDG) at national levels.
Water, sanitation and health Read More »
The final Opinion on the biological effects of ultraviolet radiation relevant to health with particular reference to sunbeds for cosmetic purposes has been published by the European Commission and its Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER). Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR), including that emitted by sunbeds, is considered a complete carcinogen, in that it
Sun-beds – no safe limit for UVR exposure Read More »
Life expectancy now exceeds 80 years in most EU countries according to the new report “Health at a Glance: Europe 2016“, but these are not always healthy life years. Around 50 million people in the EU suffer from several chronic diseases, and more than half a million people of working age die from them every
Longer life, but not necessarily healthier life Read More »
Although the number of refugee and migrant arrivals has seen an overall reduction in recent months, migration to Europe continues at a steady rate. In 2016 more than 330,000 refugees and migrants reached Italy and Greece with over 4,200 being found dead or reported missing at sea, compared to 3,771 in 2015. The health systems
European Knowledge Hub on Health and Migration Read More »
Antibiotic resistance presents one of the biggest threats to global health and development today – and the threat is growing. On any given day, about 80,000 patients – or 1 in 18 patients in hospitals – in the EU have at least one health care associated infection according to estimates from the European Centre for
Healthcare workers as “Antibiotic Guardians” Read More »
