Copenhagen, 02 April 2007 - World Health Day, which will be celebrated worldwide on 7 April, marks the beginning of a long-term campaign to improve international health security. During 2007 – the year when the revised International Health Regulations enter into force – one of the campaign’s objectives is to step up countries'' preparedness to respond to health crises.

To kick-off the campaign, WHO is organizing a global debate, which will involve high-level participants, including WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, in Singapore on 2 April, in advance of the Day. In the WHO European Region, the year-long campaign to raise the profile of the health security will contribute to the Ministerial Conference on Strengthening Health Systems that will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, on 18-20 June 2008.

Main health security challenges in WHO European Region

Across the WHO European Region, even the wealthiest countries are wrestling with how best to adapt their health systems to respond better to old" health challenges, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and re-emerging diseases, such as SARS and avian influenza, as well as humanitarian emergencies, health risks from effects of climate change or environmental degradation, and other acute health threats.

WHO European experts identify the health systems as a vital component in managing health events and potential security crises. A weak, unprepared health system is a critical bottleneck in the response chain, hampering effective action. A strong, well prepared and well managed health system can stop a health event from becoming a security crisis. The new challenges to health security, combined with other changes such as people’s increasing mobility, and spiralling health care costs, for example, call for a comprehensive review of how health systems operate, and what can be done to enhance their performance.

Evaluating effective strategies to improve health systems performance will be a central aim of the forthcoming WHO European Ministerial Conference on Health Systems. It is hoped that the evidence shared at the Ministerial Conference in Tallinn will serve to provide greater guidance to Member States, contribute to more responsive health systems, and a safer European Region.

WHO’s added value

WHO has established global mechanisms to quickly mobilize expertise from a well established network of experienced international experts to respond to disasters, emergencies and disease outbreaks. The establishment of a joint operational regional platform for a timely mobilization of international expertise and resources will be instrumental to improve future crisis response operations. In this context the revised International health Regulation, which will come into force in June, will help to build and strengthen the existing mechanisms for outbreak alert and response at national and international levels.

Some quotes on health crises from experts of the WHO European Office:

Dr Nata Menabde, WHO Deputy Regional Director for Europe: Health systems are in the first line of response to health crises. A weak, unprepared health system is a critical bottleneck in the response chain, hampering effective action. A strong, well prepared and well managed health system has better chances to prevent a health event from becoming a security crisis."

Dr Caroline Brown, Technical Officer, Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response: The world is insufficiently prepared for a possible influenza pandemic. Once international spread begins, a global pandemic is considered largely unavoidable as it is caused by a virus that spreads very rapidly through droplets (coughing or sneezing) and to which the population will have no pre-existing immunity. […] The International Health Regulations (IHR), which will come into force in June 2007, will help to build and strengthen mechanisms for outbreak alert and response at national and international levels, and contribute to making the world more secure."

Dr Gerald Rockenschaub, Regional Adviser, Disaster Preparedness and Response: Humanitarian emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters and conflicts, constitute what has traditionally been considered as the main threat to health security worldwide. In the European Region, over 300 000 people perished in violent conflicts and almost 100 000 died from natural disasters and large-scale accidents over the past 15 years.

Dr Bettina Menne, Medical Officer, Global Change and Health, Special Programme on Health and Environment: Between 1990 and 2006, the Emergency Events Database recorded 1483 disaster events, such as earthquakes, floods, heat-waves and other natural and technological hazards, causing 98 119 deaths, affecting over 42 million people, with an estimated economic loss of over US$ 168 billion (€130 billion) in the WHO European Region"

Dr Srdan Matic Regional Adviser, HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections: WHO and UNAIDS estimate that at the end of 2006, 2.44 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in the 53 countries of the European Region, most of them (average 1.7 million) in the countries of eastern Europe and central Asia. The estimated HIV prevalence in adults now exceeds 1% in three European countries: Estonia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine."

Dr Richard Zaleskis, Regional Adviser, Tuberculosis Control: "Every year, 66 000 people – 8 every hour – die of TB and 445 000 people become infected in the WHO European Region."

For more information:

• on the World Health Day 2007 campaign visit: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2007/en/index.html
• on threats and challenges to health security in the WHO European Region two fact sheets with the latest information are available on ….
• on the forthcoming WHO European Ministerial Conference on Strengthening Health Systems, visit our web site on ….
• or contact:

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Dr Gerald Rockenschaub
Regional Adviser, Disaster Preparedness and Response
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Tel: +45 39 17 1551. Fax: + 45 39 17 18 18
E-mail: gro@euro.who.int

PRESS INFORMATION:
Ms Liuba Negru
Press and Media Relations Officer
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Tel.: +45 39 17 13 44. Fax: +45 39 17 18 80
E-mail: LNE@euro.who.int