Surveillance and early warning
In recent decades, rates of infectious diseases have generally either fallen or
remained stable in the EU. The majority of deaths in EU countries are now due
to non-infectious diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. However,
infectious diseases can still bring serious challenges to public health as the
coronavirus pandemic has shown us. In our globalised world, diseases can spread
very quickly from one country to another.
The
early detection of health threats requires continuous robust surveillance and
mechanisms for early warning and response. The EU has set up structures to
enable the fast exchange of information among Member States public health
authorities and global bodies such as the World Health Organization, to detect
a threat as early as possible.
Surveillance
systems provide information for
monitoring communicable disease trends, helping to identify risk factors, and
areas for intervention. They provide information for priority setting,
planning, implementation and resource allocation for preventive programmes and
for evaluating preventive programmes and control measures.
Decision No 1082/2013/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of
22 October 2013 on serious cross-border threats to health. This new Decision revived
the network for the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases and
related special health issues.
The Commission adopted an Implementing Decision in June 2018, updating the list of around 50 infectious diseases monitored through the EU’s epidemiological surveillance network. This new list includes communicable diseases that have recently emerged or re-emerged, such as Chikungunya, Dengue, Lyme neuroborreliosis and Zika infections.
A pandemic plan is a documented strategy for how an organization plans to provide essential services when there is a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease. When a pandemic spreads and a high percentage of a company's employees are sick at the same time, it can negatively affect the company's ability to carry out essential services.
Pandemic planning in the news
Pandemic
planning received renewed global attention with the emergence and spread of the
coronavirus (COVID-19) in late 2019. As with epidemics and pandemics throughout
history, the COVID-19 outbreak has raised healthcare, business and governmental
policy questions that affect the world´s economy.