The first meeting of the Asset High Level Policy Forum was held in Bruxelles on March 12. The Forum was intended to bring together selected European policy-makers at regional, national and EU levels, key decision makers in health agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, and civil society organisations, in a unique and interactive dialogue to promote on-going reflection on EU strategic priorities about pandemics.
Epidemics may spread fast and since we are constantly improving our transportation possibilities, virus and bacteria are taking advantage of that. For centuries, harbours have been critical junctions through which diseases moved and diffused, and this led to the construction of specific buildings to isolate those who were sick or suspected of being infected. Nowadays we also have airports and much more persons moving all around the world, increasing the potential spread of infectious agents.
Within the activities of the EU-funded project ASSET, we have the pleasure to announce the First Edition of the Summer School on Science in Society related issues in Pandemics.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has decided to hold a two-days conference in Riga (Latvia) with ministers and high level representatives from the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs and Finance of the European Union, European Economic Area and Eastern Partnership Countries as well as high representatives of the European Commission, members of the European Parliament, representatives of international institu
World TB Day, on March 24th each year, is aimed at building public awareness about tuberculosis, a disease still causing nearly one-and-a-half million deaths each year, mostly in developing countries.
From May 18 to 22, 2015, Florence will host the 24th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW 2015), the premier international forum to present and discuss progress in research, development, standards, and applications of the topics related to the Web. WWW 2015 will offer high quality technical activities, including research sessions, poster sessions, workshops, tutorials, demonstrations, an industry track, a developers track, panels, and a Ph.D. symposium.
Tackling pandemics and epidemics is an intricate process, which necessitates effective interaction among many stakeholders. As this interaction must happen very quickly and under intense public scrutiny, preparedness is essential. The network of stakeholders can only be prepared well through building trust and good working relationships prior to the incident. In addition, identifying and discussing important policy issues and examining how they can be improved, can only be done comprehensively through considering the points of view of all the main stakeholders.
Data Mining International has decided to hold the ASSET WP2 Transdisciplinary workshop, in Geneva, which will be followed by the ASSET Executive Board. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, 24 February at the Geneva Airport (Altitude meeting rooms, 3rd floor), while the Executive Board will take place in the Swissair Center of the Geneva Airport (Room Acapulco, 2d floor), on Wednesday, 25 February.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has decided to hold a three-day Scientific Conference in October 2015 in Milan, in concomitance with the World Expo 2015 that the city will host from May to October and in liaison with national organisations, EU agencies, the European Commission and international risk assessment bodies. An international Advisory Committee has guided EFSA on the proposed programme. An international Advisory Committee has guided EFSA on the proposed programme.
A proper health communication is crucial, especially when facing a major emergency like an infectious disease outbreaks. Improving communication effectiveness is a big challenge for those working in public healthcare and was also one of the main topics discussed during the TELL ME Conference, Bridging Theory And Practice For Effective Communications During Infectious Disease Crises, which was held in Venice, on December 4th and 5th.
