Romania's EU Presidency will not look into new business models to tackle anti-microbial resistance (AMR), Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
There is no freedom of choice when it comes to vaccination because it involves putting other people’s health at risk, a top EU health official has warned, adding that ongoing debate in Italy about inoculations is verging "on the absurd".
Public perception towards vaccines is largely positive across the EU, with Portugal marking the highest scores, a new report has found. However, mistrust still exists in some member states and four of them are among the top ten vaccine-sceptical countries in the world.
The European Commission’s proposed recommendation on strengthened cooperation of all stakeholders against vaccine-preventable diseases should not remain a “piece of paper” as it needs to bring tangible results for all age groups, Commission officials told EURACTIV.com.
When it comes to vaccination and immunity, what matters is to ensure high immunity levels and not the way each EU government will decide to follow, EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com following a heated debate on the issue in Italy.
The first six months of 2018 have seen a sudden increase in the number of measles cases in Europe with at least 37 deaths, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
Multicomponent or combined vaccines are an indispensable tool to address the current public health challenges and Europe should, therefore, help unlock their potential, said Swedish MEP Christofer Fjellner.
Measles cases continue to increase in a number of EU/EEA countries according to the most recent measles data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through epidemic intelligence and published in the Communicable Diseases Threats Report (CDTR) today (22 May).
With the European Commission’s new vaccination proposals, scientists have a good opportunity to join forces and use IT tools to explain their scientific opinions to people, EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
If the scientific community sticks together and makes a coordinated effort, it can be very influential in shaping national vaccination plans, Italian professor Paolo Bonanni told EURACTIV.com, citing Italy as a prime example.
The European Commission could play a decisive role in further harmonising the regulatory framework of vaccines and therefore avoid delays in the supply of vaccines in case of shortages or emergencies, Vaccines Europe told EURACTIV.com.
Patient groups play a crucial role in providing the right information and thus tackling fake news on vaccination, according to experts, who say this is increasingly necessary to restore confidence in this field.
Parents have a particular responsibility to protect their children, as they are more vulnerable to infections, but vaccination should be seen as a lifelong approach that applies to adults too, centre-right MEP Renate Sommer told EURACTIV.com.
The European Parliament’s Environment Committee called on member states to tighten their law against anti-vaccination movements and better inform their citizens about its myths and benefits. EURACTIV’s partner Euroefe reports.