Glossary

Q fever

An infectious disease due to the bacterium Coxiella burnetii whose symptoms include

fever, headache, malaise, and pneumonia (interstitial pneumonitis), but not rash. The

Q stands for query because the cause of the disease was long a question mark. Q

fever is a zoonotic disease and is contracted from cattle, sheep, and goats. Chronic Q

fever (infection that persists for more than 6 months) may develop years after the initial

infection and can lead to serious complications including endocarditis. Transplant

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Public relations

A management function that helps define an organization's philosophy and direction by

maintaining communication within a firm and with outside forces and by monitoring and

helping a firm adapt to significant public opinion. (1)

 

(1) Glossary of communication, University of Jyväskylä

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Public health preparedness

To be ready to face infectious outbreaks and other hazards, organizations and societies

need a comprehensive plan.

Preparedness of countries, societies and organizations in facing infectious outbreaks

and other hazards. The impact of pandemic influenza outbreaks on individuals and

societies can be reduced by being well prepared. This means having a comprehensive

plan, that has been tested and refined through conducting exercises, engaging the

whole of society.

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Public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)

An extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other

States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a

coordinated international response

Some serious public health events that endanger international public health may be

determined under the International Health Regulations to be public health emergencies

of international concern (PHEIC). The term Public Health Emergency of International

Concern is defined in the IHR (2005) as “an extraordinary event which is determined,

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Public health emergency

A public health emergency (the condition that requires the governor to declare a state

of public health emergency) is defined as "an occurrence or imminent threat of an

illness or health condition, caused by bio terrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or

(a) novel and highly fatal infectious agent or biological toxin, that poses a substantial

risk of a significant number of human facilities or incidents or permanent or long-term

disability (WHO/DCD, 2001). The declaration of a state of public health emergency

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Public health

The approach to medicine that is concerned with the health of the community as a

whole. Public health is community health. It has been said that: "Health care is vital to

all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time." The

mission of public health is to "fulfill society's interest in assuring conditions in which

people can be healthy." The three core public health functions are:

- The assessment and monitoring of the health of communities and populations at risk

to identify health problems and priorities;

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Public awareness raising

The processes of developing and communicating factual information for the general

population in order to increase their levels of awareness of disaster risks and their

understanding of how they can act to reduce their exposure and vulnerability to

hazards. Comment: Public awareness activities foster changes in behaviour leading

towards a culture of risk reduction. This involves the development and dissemination of

public and educational information through radio, television and print media, as well as

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Proportionate mortality

Fraction of all deaths due to a specific cause. (1)

 

(1) Checchi and Roberts, Interpreting and using mortality data in humanitarian

emergencies, ODI/HPN paper 52, 2005

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Proportionality

A requirement for a reasonable balance between the public good to be achieved and

the degree of personal invasion. If the intervention is gratuitous, onerous, or unfair, it

will overstep ethical boundaries.

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Prophylaxis

The prevention of disease in exposed or at risk individuals with a chemical agent or a

behavioral measure.

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MMLAP and other EU Projects

AsiaFluCap
Health system analysis to support capacity development in response to the threat of pandemic influenza in Asia
BEWATER
Making society an active participant in water adaptation to global change
CASI
Public Participation in Developing a Common Framework for Assessment and Management of Sustainable Innovation
CIMULACT
Engaging all of Europe in shaping a desirable and sustainable future
DARWIN
Expect the unexpected and know how to respond
DRIVER
Driving innovation in crisis management for European resilience
ECOM
Effective communication in outbreak management: development of an evidence-based tool for Europe
EDEN
Solutions to improve CBRNe resilience
EPISOUTH
Network for Communicable Disease Control in Southern Europe and Mediterranean Countries
EPIWORK
Developing the framework for an epidemic forecast infrastructure
EUPHARE
Strengthening of the national surveillance system for communicable diseases
EUROHEP
Surveillance of vaccine preventable hepatitis
EuroMOMO
European monitoring of excess mortality for public health action
EURONHID
European network for highly infectious disease
EUVAC.NET
Dedicated surveillance network for surveillance and control of vaccine preventable diseases in the EU
FLUMODCONT
Modelling the spread of pandemic influenza and strategies for its containment and mitigation
FLURESP
Cost-effectiveness assessment of european influenza human pandemic alert and response strategies
GAP2
Bridging the gap between science, stakeholders and policy makers
HProImmune
Promotion of immunization for health professionals in Europe
INPROFOOD
Towards inclusive research programming for sustainable food innovations
JA-CHRODIS
Addressing chronic diseases and healthy ageing across the life cycle
M-Eco
Medical ecosystem – personalized event-based surveillance
MAPPING
Studying the many and varied economic, social, legal and ethical aspects of the recent developments on the Internet, and their consequences for the individual and society at large
MARINA
Get involved in the responsible marine research and innovation
PACITA
Knowledge-based policy-making on issues involving science, technology and innovation, mainly based upon the practices in Parliamentary Technology Assessment
PANDEM
Assessment of the current pandemic preparedness and response tools, systems and practice at national, EU and global level in priority areas
PE2020
Analysis of innovative public engagement tools and instruments for dynamic governance in the field of Science in Society
PERARES
Public Engagement with Research And Research Engagement with Society
PHEME
Computing Veracity – the Fourth Challenge of Big Data
PREPARE
Providing infrastructure, co-ordination and integration of existing clinical research networks on epidemics and pandemics
PROMOVAX
Promote vaccinations among migrant population in Europe
R&DIALOGUE
Creating mechanisms for effectively tackling the scientific and technology related challenges faced by society
RESPIRE
Improve the quality of indoor air, keeping it free from radon
SATORI
Improving respect of ethics principles and laws in research and innovation, in line with the evolution of technologies and societal concerns
SECURING CITIES AGAINST GLOBAL PANDEMICS
Investigating how cities in the West securitise against global pandemics
SEiSMiC
Creating a structured dialogue and mutual learning with citizens and urban actors by setting up National Networks in 10 countries across Europe
SIS CATALYST
Identifying how children can be change agents in the Science and Society relationship
SYN-ENERGENE
Establishing an open dialogue between stakeholders concerning synthetic biology’s potential benefits and risks
TELLME
Transparent communication in Epidemics: Learning Lessons from experience, delivering effective Messages, providing Evidence