Brussels, 08/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Everyone can remember the recent crises such as the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 and the outbreak of E.coli in 2011. To better protect Europeans from a wide range of cross-border health threats, and provide for a fully co-ordinated response in the event of a crisis, the European Commission adopted, on Thursday 8 December, a legislative proposal on the means to address serious cross-border health threats. The proposal builds on existing structures and further strengthens them.
The measures proposed include extending the existing co-ordination mechanism for communicable diseases to all heath threats caused by biological, chemical or environmental causes. There is already a network in place for the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases composed of the European Commission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and national authorities. With the new proposal, this expertise is extended to other serious cross-border health threats.
The Commission is also advocating a greater role for the health safety committee set up in 2001, following the terrorist attacks and deliberate release of anthrax toxins in the United States. The proposal adopted on Thursday, formalises and gives a broader mandate to the committee including providing advice to member states and the Commission on both policy and technical issues relating to health security.
The Commission believes that there should be better preparation for future crises. Its proposal foresees that every member state coordinate its efforts to develop, strengthen and maintain its national preparedness and response plan, in consultation with other member states. Such plans include, for example, measures to improve access to medical countermeasures, and co-ordination with other key sectors. Member states should also respect guidelines put forward by the Commission, which will co-ordinate the process. Such guidelines may relate to health measures or communication with the public. The proposal also provides a basis for joint voluntary purchasing of vaccines and other medical countermeasures for the member states that are interested.
When a life threatening disease that can be prevented by vaccines or cured by medicines is spreading rapidly in Europe and the World Health Organisation has not yet declared the “emergency” situation, the EU can recognise a European health emergency, for the sole purpose of authorising new medicines faster or changing the indication of a medicine. This provision seeks to address situations where a disease is spreading across Europe (not on a world scale) and lives can be saved with pharmaceuticals.
The proposal foresees that, in very specific emergency situations, the Commission adopt emergency cross-border measures -for example, related to containment of an outbreak, or the screening of infected citizens. (OL/transl.fl)