Vector-borne diseases are a growing challenge for the EU, threatening public health and the economy, the European Commission acknowledged on Thursday 9 October during a debate with MEPs.
The Commissioner for Environment, Jessika Roswall, stressed the need to step up action: step up the fight against vectors, inform the public, train health professionals and develop new vaccines. She called for action, believing that the data and evidence were now sufficient.
Laurent Castillo (EPP, French) said that a health alert had just been issued in the Alpes-Maritimes region, where more than 300 cases of chikungunya had been recorded, due to the tiger mosquito establishing itself in Europe. He recommended stepping up vector surveillance, sharing data between Member States, supporting vaccine research and pooling resources to prevent each country fighting the disease in isolation.
Vytenis Andriukaitis (S&D, Lithuanian) noted the worrying rise in these diseases (chikungunya, tick-borne encephalitis). He advocated increased surveillance, better prevention, the use of vaccination and the integration of the measures proposed by the Commission into national public health plans. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)