Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
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November 1, 2002
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"EU May Be Ill Equipped to Handle Epidemics"
Reuters (www.reuters.com) (10/29/02)
According to the European Union's Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne, the EU may not be prepared for the possibility of major communicable disease epidemics or any other critical health threats that require rapid and coordinated responses. The EU's chief public health officer noted a lack of fully effective and coordinated surveillance and response capabilities and is pushing through plans for a European Center for Disease Control by the year 2005. The center will be a reference point for managing both routine and crisis situations and for increasing the EU's ability to handle outbreaks of communicable diseases such as influenza and hepatitis.
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