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| Wed 23 October 2024 | View online Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
| | | | | European Parliament ready to fight to strengthen the EU4Health programme |
| The upcoming interinstitutional negotiations on the health aspect of the EU budget for 2025 are already shaping up to be tense. The co-rapporteur for the EU budget 2025, Victor Negrescu (Romania, S&D), warned on Tuesday, 22 October, during the plenary session that he would reject the cuts proposed by the Council to the EU’s health-related programmes: EU4Health and the Health Clusters under the Horizon Europe programme. “We need a budget that includes an increase of over €110 million for health, especially since the pandemic is behind us, but we cannot act as if it never happened," stated Mr Negrescu.
The Parliament's requests calls for an increase of €50 million for EU4Health alone, compared to the European Commission's initial proposal, which allocated a budget of €580 million for the programme in 2025. The figure remains well below the €753.8 million allocated in 2024.
"We need to do much more regarding health. The cancer programme, initiatives against cardiovascular diseases, improving mental health, tackling rare diseases, and paediatric illnesses - all of these must bring us closer together if we work collaboratively. Therefore, we reject the reductions proposed by the Council," he added. Read more about the parliament’s position here. Back to the top |
| | | | French MEPs urge the Commission to act on possible link of paediatric cancers clusters to pesticides |
| French S&D MEPs Christophe Clergeau and Eric Sargiacomo sent a letter on Tuesday, 22 October, to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, urging them to act in response to the emergence of paediatric cancer clusters within the EU.
Clergeau, a vice-president on S&D bureau with responsibility for health and Sargiacomo, vice-chair of the Parliament's Agriculture Committee, addressed the European executive after the French newspaper Le Monde revealed that multiple cases of paediatric cancers had been recorded near La Rochelle, France.
"The presence of banned pesticides in the urine samples of children is particularly worrying, as the results of this research indicate cases of acute exposure of children over a wide area to some of these prohibited pesticides, implying that recent illegal spraying of crops has taken place," the MEPs explained.
A new database: They are calling on the European Commission, "to urgently send a mission to La Rochelle and the affected area to meet with public authorities, farmers, and local residents." The MEPs recommend that the EU "establish a comprehensive database" to "document paediatric cancer clusters and their causes."
In addition, Clergeau and Sargiacomo are also asking the Commission to ensure that member states "fully comply" with the obligations set out in the regulation on the authorisation, sale, use, and control of pesticides in the EU. They also propose that this regulatory framework be reviewed to determine whether it remains effective or needs to be strengthened. Back to the top |
| | | | WHO certifies Egypt as malaria free |
| The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as malaria-free. The certification is awarded once a country has proven that the chain of local transmission has been interrupted for at least the past three consecutive years, and that a surveillance and response system is in place.
“This certification [...] is a testament to the commitment of the people and government of Egypt to rid themselves of this ancient scourge,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is an inspiration to other countries in the region.”
Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt, Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said, “Receiving the malaria elimination certificate today is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a new phase. We must now work tirelessly and vigilantly to sustain our achievement.” Back to the top |
| | | | WHO/EU survey begins: Data is key to understanding mental strain of healthcare |
| At yesterday’s launch of the European Commission and WHO collaborative survey on the mental health of healthcare professionals throughout the European Union, Norway and Iceland, Tiago Villanueva, the president of the European Union of General Practitioners, said the survey will shed light on the underlying causes of these issues, “Something is going on that we are not fully addressing.”
A 2023 European health study showed that nurses report a job strain of 61%, which is twice the average level of work-related strain in other sectors of the EU’s economy.
“The pillar at the heart if to focus on safeguarding healthcare workers,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of Country Health Policies and Systems at WHO. “It is time to gather data and act.” The survey takes 12 minutes to complete, it will run until midnight on 31 December. The results are scheduled for release by June 2025. Back to the top |
| | | | | Germany detects first case of Clade Ib Mpox in Cologne |
| Germany - The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German government’s central scientific institution with responsibility for surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases, has reported its first clade Ib mpox case.
The increase of the new mpox variant clade Ib cases in central Africa triggered the declaration of a WHO public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 14 August.
The new variant has not spread widely with only four cases detected outside Africa. The German case is only the second verified case in Europe, other than one case in Sweden.
The patient, a 33-year-old man, was admitted for treatment on 12 October. The patient is based in Cologne and it is believed that the infection was acquired abroad.
RKI still believes that there is a low risk of infection from clade I viruses in Germany, “but is monitoring the situation very closely and adapting its recommendations if necessary.”
Germany was hit by a spate of cases linked to the mpox clade IIb in May 2022, this variant is usually transmitted by sexual activity between men. Public health efforts have since resulted in a sharp decline in cases, with only a few cases reported since 2022. Back to the top |
| | Swedish universities want bigger say in pandemic planning |
| Sweden - Swedish universities want to contribute more in preparations for the next pandemic. The focal point is a centre at the medical university Karolinska Institutet, KI, which has established a network of expertise across the country.
Early next year, a new government inquiry will present a draft of a Swedish strategy to better deal with dangerous infectious diseases and the next pandemics.
“We will develop a new legal framework to improve Sweden’s current infection control legislation, but we will also develop a basis for a national strategy to deal with pandemics,” Ann-Christin Johnreden, the inquiry’s lead investigator, told Euractiv.
“We tried to understand what KI could do differently in a future pandemic, and one key lesson was that we needed to establish contacts with government agencies ahead of future crises to understand where we could contribute – it is too late when the crisis is already happening,” said Anna Zorzet, Strategic Process Leader at the centre.
To fill the knowledge gap, she wants Swedish universities to play a more important role in planning, preparing for and dealing with future pandemics or serious health threats.
“We are working proactively to spread knowledge about what we do and what we can do to help in a crisis,” Zorzet remarked. The centre’s mission is to build the next generation of health crisis experts through research, training and interdisciplinary collaboration and to help authorities make more informed decisions. Read the full article here.
That was then: Sweden’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic was slow, contributing to thousands more deaths than in other Nordic countries. Faster and more intrusive action was needed, especially in February and March 2020, concluded the Coronavirus Commission, set up to oversee the Social Democratic government’s handling of the infectious disease crisis.
Another key finding was that the government delegated too much responsibility to its Public Health Agency, whose expert assessments and recommendations were formally the responsibility of only one person, its director general, Anders Tegnell. Back to the top |
| | UK health minister promises to get tough on smoking and vaping |
| United Kingdom - The new Labour government is promising to go further than the previous government’s proposed Tobacco and Vapes bill, which sets the ambitious target of the UK achieving smoke-free status by 2030, a decade ahead of the EU target.
Speaking at a event to launch a consultation with the public at large inviting them to share their ideas on how to improve the NHS, Health Minister Wes Streeting said that he will introduce a bill to the parliament before Christmas, which will be even more ambitious than the Conservatives bill. “It will mean that children growing up in our country today will be the first ever smoke-free generation.”
Chief Executive of the UK’s leading anti-smoking organisation ASH, Hazel Cheeseman has welcomed the minister's commitment. In response to the recent release of NHS data on Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, she said, “It is vital the Government bring forward the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as soon as possible to accelerate progress towards a smoke free generation and more effectively regulate vaping.”
Cheeseman acknowledges that smoking rates have fallen dramatically among 11–15-year-olds over the last few decades, but said there is a particularly worrying jump in 11 year olds reporting ever smoking or currently smoking.
“At the same time youth vaping remains too high and is unlikely to fall without further regulations to limit the appeal of vapes to teens,” she added. Back to the top |
| | | | | | | | | Strasbourg plenary week: Vote on budget for 2025, Resolution on MDR |
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| | Urban wastewater treatment (recast) on the agenda |
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| | | | | | | | | Working Party on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices |
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| | | | Launch of OnHomeAlliance , Online Order and Home Delivery of Medicines Alliance
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| | | | | | Today’s brief was brought to you by Euractiv’s Health team |
| | | | | Today’s briefing was prepared by the Health team: Catherine Feore, Clara Bauer-Babef, Emma Pirnay, Thomas Mangin, and Lydia Williams. With additional reporting by Monica Kleja. Share your feedback or information with us at digital@euractiv.com. |
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