21-05-2021
In the latest episode of “Health in Europe”, we speak with Dr Tracey Cooper, Chief Executive of Public Health Wales about health equity and the need for governments and policy-makers to bridge gaps to equity to strengthen the eventual recovery from the pandemic. The episode coincides with the final day of European Public Health Week, focusing on leaving no one behind in health.
This is the first episode in a mini-series on health equity that features interviews with representatives of ILGA Europe and the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) – as well as the National Institute of Public Health, the Institute for Economic Research and the Social Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia.
On World Hand Hygiene Day 2021, WHO/Europe calls on decision-makers, hospital managers and health-care workers to enable and adopt effective hand hygiene at the point of care. Across the WHO European Region, on any given day, about 80 000 – or approximately 1 in 18 – patients have at least 1 health-care-associated infection in a hospital.
People in Tajikistan have a relatively high risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. The recently published WHO/Europe report “STEPS prevalence of noncommunicable disease risk factors in Tajikistan 2017” reveals the major health risk factors for the country, and how they can be reduced.
26-04-2021
People in prisons have a much higher risk of COVID-19 transmission than outside communities
People living and working in prisons should not be neglected as national programmes of COVID-19 vaccination roll out across the WHO European Region and globally. That is the main message of a recent article published by WHO/Europe in the Lancet journal.
During the pandemic, immunization activities in detention facilities can play a big role in reducing inequities in countries.
Vaccination for prisoners: the WHO European Region can do better
WHO research shows that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is higher in prisons, where people live in close proximity to each other and have limited access to testing and personal protective equipment. Compared to the wider community, people living in prisons have a disproportionally higher burden of comorbidities, including noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which increases their chances of suffering severe outcomes from COVID-19.
26-04-2021
At the start of European Immunization Week (EIW), North Macedonia’s Ministry of Health, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO are highlighting vaccination as a public good that underpins our society, protects health and saves lives. With the theme “Vaccines bring us closer”, this year’s EIW showcases the role vaccines play in preventing the spread of many diseases.
Through observing EIW in North Macedonia this year, the Ministry of Health and partners aim to raise awareness of the value of immunization. They are highlighting the importance of maintaining routine vaccination and building the public’s confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for protecting the health workforce and helping to end the pandemic.