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Spain leads calls for urgent action to improve patient safety
Health experts from within and beyond the WHO European Region agree that urgent action is needed to address health-care-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Across the European Union, HAI affect over 4 million patients every year, resulting in 16 million extra days in hospital and an annual economic impact of about €7 billion.
>> http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/Health-systems/patient-safety/sections/news3/2010/7/spain-leads-calls-for-urgent-action-to-improve-patient-safety

2010-International Year of the Nurse
The 2010 IYNurse was established to actively involve the world's nurses - estimated to be more than 15 million - in a celebration of commitment bring health to their communities, locally and worldwide. Read more about the activities and share your stories here.
>> http://www.2010iynurse.net/

Draft Directive on patients' rights in cross border healthcare
On 8 June an agreement was reached by EU ministers of health and social affairs on the new proposed European Directive on patient’s rights in cross border healthcare – drafted by the Spanish Presidency of the European Council. EHMA has prepared a short briefing on the draft Directive and on the most contentious areas of the draft discussed by the Council. The briefing is available here! The draft text will now be sent to the European Parliament for a second reading. EHMA will keep its members updated on the decisions of the European Parliament. More information on past regulations and rulings that have affected current discussions on cross border care is also available in a new EHMA Briefing on EU developments in cross border healthcare: framing the discussion.
>> http://www.ehma.org/files/briefing%20council%20decision%208%20June%20on%20CBC.pdf

New Public Consultation on Strengthening European Preparedness on Pandemic Influenza. Deadline for submissions: 23 July 2010
The Treaty provisions on public health provide inter alia that Community action, which shall complement national policies, shall be directed towards improving public health, and prevention of human illnesses and diseases. Specific mention is made of the fight against the major health scourges, by promoting research into their causes, transmission and prevention. The Treaty provides that the Community shall encourage cooperation between the Member States in these areas, and if necessary lend support to their action. It also provides that Member States shall coordinate among themselves in liaison with the Commission their policies and programmes in the above mentioned areas, and that the Commission may take any useful action to promote such coordination.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=pandemicinfluenza&lang=en

1 in 7 sunbeds in breach of UV radiation safety
The European Commission published the results of a market surveillance check on sunbeds and sunbed services. Consumers should be aware of the potential risks associated with using sunbeds according to the results of a market surveillance check of sunbeds and sunbed services.
>> http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/158&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Gender and education (and employment)
Gendered imperatives and their implications for women and men. Lessons from research for policy makers. An independent report submitted to the European Commission by the NESSE networks of experts.
>> http://www.nesse.fr/nesse/activities/reports/activities/reports/gender-report-pdf

The European Commission's Health and Consumers Directorate-General is issuing a call for information
The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) has received a request for a scientific opinion on The safety of reprocessed single-use medical devices.In line with its procedures for stakeholder dialogue, published on 15 September 2007, the European Commission's Health and Consumers Directorate-General is issuing a call for information on this subject
>> http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scenihr/scenihr_call_info_07_en.htm

European Partnership for Action against Cancer
On 29 September over 300 cancer organisations, patients and cancer survivors, health professionals, researchers, health authorities and health ministers gathered in Brussels to mark the official launch of the European Partnership for Action against Cancer. This partnership aims to draw together relevant organisations to share expertise, to identify challenges in order to reduce the number of new cancer cases in the EU by 15% by 2020.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/dyna/consumervoice/create_cv.cfm?cv_id=578

Solidarity in Health: Reducing Health Inequalities in the EU
The Commission Communication sets out actions that the European Commission will take to help address health inequalities including: Collaboration with national authorities, regions and other bodies, assessment of the impact of EU policies on health inequalities to ensure that they help reduce them where possible, regular statistics and reporting on the size of inequalities in the EU and on successful strategies to reduce them and better information on EU funding to help national authorities and other bodies address the inequalities.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/socio_economics/cons_inequalities_en.htm

Analysing and reporting on health
The European Commission is launching public health reporting projects under the Health Information strand of the Community Action for Public Health (2003-2008) and this activity will be continued intensively under the new Public Health Programme 2007-2013. The reports deal with topical public health issues that provide the basis for further policy developments.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_information/reporting/analysing_reporting_en.htm

Mercury Sphygmomanometers in Healthcare and the Feasibility of Alternatives
The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) addresses the issue of whether the replacement of mercury-containing, blood-pressure measuring devices (sphygmomanometers) would endanger proper health care including specific groups of patients, and/or compromise long-term translational epidemiological studies for public health.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scenihr/docs/scenihr_o_025.pdf

Healthy life years in the European Union
Facts and figures 2005
>> http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_information/reporting/docs/hly_en.pdf

Questions and answers on the CHMP review of the recommendations on the use of pandemic H1N1 vaccines
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has published updated information on the use of pandemic H1N1 vaccines, which can be found under the following web page
>> http://www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/human/pandemicinfluenza/66680909en.pdf

The EU role in Global Health
Global Health has gradually and rightfully taken a priority space in the areas of foreign policy, national health strategies, development partnerships and global public goods. The dimensions of equity and the global factors affecting health are challenged by the globalization and require an enhanced and inter-disciplinary and coherent approach of internal and external policies and strategies. In view of the above mentioned challenges, there is a need to better identify the role and strategy of the EU in the present global health challenges.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/development/how/consultation/index.cfm?action=viewcons&id=4765

Consultation finds many unaware of good governance code
More than a quarter of respondents admit they have not heard of the document. More than a quarter of respondents so far to the consultation on refreshing the code of good governance had not heard of the original code.
>> http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/DailyBulletin/948631/Consultation-finds-unaware-good-governance-code/2807E41DB71F18DD33190C8C473641B9/?DCMP=EMC-DailyBulletin

We persuaded EU to consult on funding rule reform, claims Euclid Network
The Euclid Network has claimed credit for persuading the European Commission to launch its first-ever public consultation on reforming the rules governing EU funding.
>> http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/DailyBulletin/946996/persuaded-EU-consult-funding-rule-reform-claims-Euclid-Network/D6377F0D80ABBBFAD660F5035DB4D055/?DCMP=EMC-DailyBulletin

Commission takes steps to tackle health inequalities in the EU
The European Commission has announced today a series of actions to help Member States and other actors tackle the gaps in health which exist between and within countries in the EU.
>> http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1550&aged=0&language=EN&format=HTML&guiLanguage=en

Is there really a skin cancer epidemic?
A new study says the "melanoma epidemic" may simply represent a change in how doctors are diagnosing the disease. Anti-skin cancer campaigns have highlighted the fact that the number of melanomas has doubled in the past two decades, and continue to rise. However, some have doubted whether there are actually more cases of the cancer.
>> http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE58E7HC20090915

Depression can affect cancer survival: researchers
Depression can affect the likelihood of surviving cancer, but there is no clear association yet with how quickly the cancer progresses, according to a report published on 14 September.
>> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE58D4T920090914

Call for expression of interest in the renewal of membership in the EU Health Forum
The Directorate General for Health & Consumers (DG Sanco) wishes to renew the membership of the EU Health Forum (formerly EU Health Policy Forum) on the basis of the EU Health Strategy: Together for Health – a Strategic Approach for the EU 2008 - 2013.
>> http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_overview/health_forum/health_forum_renewal_en.htm