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| Thu 31 October 2024 | View online Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
| | | | Niinistö report places health at the centre of civil preparedness |
| In his report - Strengthening Europeâs civil and military preparedness and readiness - Former Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö points to the risk of a future pandemic as being among the primary health threat categories.
âAs we have experienced, a pandemic can have a profound shock effect on European citizens, our society and economy, and possibly also our security and defence,â he said.
Introducing Niinistöâs report, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the report will be at the core of the Preparedness Union Strategy that the new Commission will present.
Climate threat: The report points to the dangers of climate change to public health and says that the need for adaptation and mitigation should be embedded throughout all policies, including public health.
The link between environmental change and new pathogens was underlined, âThe profound changes to ecosystems as a result of global warming can increase the risks of new pandemics caused by zoonotic diseases.â Biotech threats: Niinistö included the possible development of synthetic pathogens, including transmutations of animal viruses to become infectious for humans or zoonotic diseases as a threat.
âAdvancing biotechnological possibilities to develop synthetic pathogens, aided by AI-driven software systems, is creating new risks related to future health preparedness and weaponisation by state or non-state actors.â
Niinistö recommends establishing a strong health crisis preparedness and response framework, which builds on two cornerstone legislations â the Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health and Emergency Framework regulations.
Psychological resilience: Niinistöâs report also placed importance on building citizensâ psychological resilience as âcrucialâ in coping with an environment of increasing risk and uncertainty. Read the full report here. Back to the top |
| | đĄ Commissioner hearings |
| | MEP Peter Liese anticipates a tense hearing for Health Commissioner-designate, Olivér Vårhelyi |
| The hearing by MEPs of Olivér Vårhelyi, the potential future Health Commissioner, is expected to be tense. This is the prediction of German MEP Peter Liese (EPP), ahead of hearing on 6 November.
âWe really need to wait for the hearing and see how strongly he shows that he has vision, not only on medicine, on health policy in a broader sense, but also on animal welfare. And then we will definitely take some time to assess that hearing. I don't think it will be an easy assessment,â said Liese.
However, Liese believes that rejecting VĂĄrhelyi as a candidate could present other problems. Liese was concerned that it could make the process highly political and that Viktor OrbĂĄn could âtry to take the whole European Union hostage while not presenting another candidate.â
âIt has never happened that a member state just doesn't come forward with a new proposal [for Commissioner]. You can wait two months, three months. So if he really shows that he's not capable, we need to take that risk,â Peter Liese concluded.
On October 23, Olivér Vårhelyi submitted his written responses to questions from MEPs. The Hungarian candidate highlighted his in-depth knowledge of several files he had followed while working at the Council of the EU, such as pharmaceutical legislation, the Medical Devices Regulation, and the Tobacco Products Directive. These three files are set to be reviewed in the coming years. Back to the top |
| | | | Healthcare for trans people in the EU held back by significant delays |
| A new map compiling EU data on healthcare found significant delays, stigma and a lack of public health funding for trans people, according to Transgender Europe (TGEU), an NGO network with 200 member organisations in over 50 countries.
The NGO reports that trans-specific healthcare continues to be pathologised in a majority of EU member swtates, despite WHO reforms in 2019, which decategorised trans identities as a mental health disorder.
âWe know for certain that 12 EU member states use the formal diagnosis of âTranssexualismâ under âICD-10, five use âGender Dysphoriaâ [...]. Only Malta, Denmark, and eight regions of Spain (for which we have information) do not require a psychiatric diagnosis as a prerequisite to access any form of trans-specific healthcare.â |
| | | Mixed picture: In Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland and Italy, waiting times range between 1-3 years for care, as those countries have dedicated gender clinics. In Ireland, where trans-specific care is delivered through the National Gender Service (NGS), waiting times went up to over 10 years. The map does not rank the member states on performance, as âranking countries' performance on healthcare can present an incorrect picture of the ground realities,â according to TGEU, citing differences in access due to location and stigma and quality of provision of care as potential hurdles. Why it matters: In 2025, the WHO will suggest new guidelines on trans-specific healthcare and training for health staff. Delays in waiting times have a significant psychological burden and are directly linked to increased rates of self-harm and suicidal ideation. Back to the top |
| | | | Tuberculosis is the worldâs deadliest infectious disease, says WHO |
| Tuberculosis (TB) was the worldâs deadliest infectious disease in 2023, surpassing COVID, according to new estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Around 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023, which is the highest number recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995.
âThe fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it,â said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Only five countries, including Pakistan, India, Indonesia, China and the Philippines accounted for 56 percent of global TB burden. Key risk factors include smoking, undernutrition, alcohol use disorder, diabetes and HIV infection.
Challenges cited with tackling TB include underfunding for research, diagnosis and treatment (particularly for low- and middle- income countries), multidrug-resistant TB, and vaccine shortages. Back to the top |
| | | | | UK detects first case of new mpox variant |
| UK - A single human case of Clade Ib mpox has been confirmed in the UK yesterday (29 October), although the risk remains low to population health, said the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
This is the first occurrence of this clade type in the country, whereas mpox Clade II has circulated in the UK at low levels since 2022. The variant is a far deadlier version of the virus than the one that caused the global outbreak in 2022, brought under control in Europe through direct engagement with gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM).
âWhile this is the first confirmed case of mpox Clade Ib in the UK, there has been extensive planning underway to ensure healthcare professionals are equipped and prepared to respond to any confirmed cases,â said the UKHSA, in a press briefing.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA said that âinvestigations are underwayâ to learn how the individual acquired the infection and whether it has been tied to any additional cases. Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It was declared a WHO public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 14 August, with additional cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya.
So far, only two other cases have been detected in Europe: one in Germany and another in Sweden. Back to the top |
| | French minister announces prospective ban on nicotine pouches |
| France - French Health Minister GeneviĂšve Darrieussecq announced in an interview in Le Parisien a forthcoming ban on nicotine sachets, which are particularly popular with young people.
"The risk is to induce nicotine dependence and then a return to smoking,â she said. The government has decided to ban these products âwhether they are sachets containing nicotine to be placed in the mouth, against the gums or under the tongue, known as pouches,â Darrieussecq added.
The Minister was particularly concerned by the high number of teenagers reporting problems, including vomiting, convulsions and other side effects linked to the pouches.
The announcement comes just ahead of November when there is a campaign to help people stop smoking and using tobacco.
The text of the proposal is expected to be published in the next few weeks. Back to the top |
| | | | | | | | EMA, Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee |
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| | 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, Copenhagen |
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| | | | | | | Commissioner-designate hearings begin |
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| | | | Commissioner-designate hearings 9:00 Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria, EPP), the proposed Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, will appear in a hearing organised by the industry committee |
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| | | | | | Todayâs brief was brought to you by Euractivâs Health team |
| | | | | Todayâs briefing was prepared by the Health team: Catherine Feore, Clara Bauer-Babef, Emma Pirnay, Thomas Mangin, and Lydia Williams. Additional reporting by Krassen Nikolov. Share your feedback or information with us at digital@euractiv.com. |
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