Europe to have its own centre for disease control
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《英国医生杂志》
The European Union will have its own centre for disease prevention and control from next year after the European parliament gave the go-ahead for the initiative on 10 February.
John Bowis, the British Conservative MEP who steered the legislation through the Strasbourg Assembly, insisted that the centre抯 resources would supplement, rather than replace, national measures reacting to health threats. It would also strengthen the informal ad hoc cooperation that now exists.
"This demonstrates the positive contribution the EU can make by sharing good practice, research and expertise. We cannot afford to be complacent. The centre will allow the EU to be proactive and not just reactive," he said.
David Byrne, the European Union抯 health and consumer protection commissioner, has also made the creation of the centre one of his political priorities since last year抯 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The recent epidemic of avian flu has added extra urgency, convincing EU governments—whose formal approval will be given within weeks—and MEPs to adopt the proposal using fast track legislative procedures.
The centre will be based in Sweden, possibly in Uppsala, where public health laboratory facilities already exist. It will have a relatively small core staff of some 30 to 40 officials, a management board with representatives from national governments and EU institutions, and a budget for its first three years of �47.8m (￡32.4m; $61m).
The centre will tap into the expertise that already exists in national public health institutes. It will take over management of the European communicable disease network that has operated since 1999 and become closely involved in the EU health security task force抯 work in monitoring and planning against bioterrorist attacks.
It will act as an early warning system, issuing scientific opinions, providing technical assistance both inside and outside the union, preparing measures against health emergencies, and supporting national public health institutes. General information for the public will be posted on a dedicated website.
The communicable diseases within the centre抯 remit include influenza; poliomyelitis; HIV infection; hepatitis; foodborne and waterborne diseases such as botulism and salmonella; typhus; yellow fever; cholera; malaria; Creutzfeld-Jakob disease; legionnaire抯 disease; tuberculosis; and viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
One of the first tasks of the centre, which aims to be operating by early 2005, will be to establish clear working arrangements with the World Health Organization.
The door has also been left open for a possible extension of the centre抯 remit after its first three years of work. This might include monitoring across a range of health measures, taking in drug resistance diseases and hospital infections.(Brussels Rory Watson)
John Bowis, the British Conservative MEP who steered the legislation through the Strasbourg Assembly, insisted that the centre抯 resources would supplement, rather than replace, national measures reacting to health threats. It would also strengthen the informal ad hoc cooperation that now exists.
"This demonstrates the positive contribution the EU can make by sharing good practice, research and expertise. We cannot afford to be complacent. The centre will allow the EU to be proactive and not just reactive," he said.
David Byrne, the European Union抯 health and consumer protection commissioner, has also made the creation of the centre one of his political priorities since last year抯 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The recent epidemic of avian flu has added extra urgency, convincing EU governments—whose formal approval will be given within weeks—and MEPs to adopt the proposal using fast track legislative procedures.
The centre will be based in Sweden, possibly in Uppsala, where public health laboratory facilities already exist. It will have a relatively small core staff of some 30 to 40 officials, a management board with representatives from national governments and EU institutions, and a budget for its first three years of �47.8m (￡32.4m; $61m).
The centre will tap into the expertise that already exists in national public health institutes. It will take over management of the European communicable disease network that has operated since 1999 and become closely involved in the EU health security task force抯 work in monitoring and planning against bioterrorist attacks.
It will act as an early warning system, issuing scientific opinions, providing technical assistance both inside and outside the union, preparing measures against health emergencies, and supporting national public health institutes. General information for the public will be posted on a dedicated website.
The communicable diseases within the centre抯 remit include influenza; poliomyelitis; HIV infection; hepatitis; foodborne and waterborne diseases such as botulism and salmonella; typhus; yellow fever; cholera; malaria; Creutzfeld-Jakob disease; legionnaire抯 disease; tuberculosis; and viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
One of the first tasks of the centre, which aims to be operating by early 2005, will be to establish clear working arrangements with the World Health Organization.
The door has also been left open for a possible extension of the centre抯 remit after its first three years of work. This might include monitoring across a range of health measures, taking in drug resistance diseases and hospital infections.(Brussels Rory Watson)