WHO Regional Office for Europe

No one knows your risk like you do. Caring for older relatives? They might experience severe influenza. COVID-19 taught us how to protect ourselves and others from respiratory diseases. Help them to schedule flu vaccination soon - #LikeOnlyYouCan

As explained by our experts in this article in Medscape, our newly launched Long-term care toolkit is designed to help policymakers find gaps in their long-term care systems and develop policies to address them. With a rising burden of disease and disability in Europe’s ageing population, the importance of sustainable, equitable and quality long-term care is increasingly urgent. The toolkit calls for the need to reduce strain on health systems and informal caregivers including by shifting from a reactive to a prevention-oriented approach to care. Read the Medscape article in full here: https://wb.md/4g1t708 #LongTermCare #LTC

Significant progress has been made in #HepatitisB elimination efforts in the Central Asia region, with 3 of the 5 countries being validated for hepatitis B control target. However, the region still faces challenges in diagnosing and treating hepatitis B, with only 11.9% of those estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B have been diagnosed, and just 9.9% of the diagnosed have received treatment. Today in Almaty, Kazakhstan, WHO/Europe with support from Robert Koch Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention kicked-off a two-day regional workshop on #HepatitisB in Central Asia. Together with national public health authorities and implementing partner, we will explore strategic priorities for the elimination of hepatitis B in Central Asia. See more: https://bit.ly/3Z2X759 Stela Bivol

Social participation is key to health system governance. That’s why WHO/Europe has launched two new policy briefs showcasing country case studies, documenting policy lessons from across our Region. 1️⃣ The first is about making social participation central to health system governance, with policy lessons from the field: https://bit.ly/3ZpXJ6h 2️⃣ The second is about how we can institutionalize social participation in health policy: https://bit.ly/4151Ky2

The conflict in Lebanon, with 16,000 injured, has taken a heavy toll on an already fragile health system. But when life-saving services are compromised, international Emergency Medical Teams or EMTs - step in to re-establish and sustain care, aligning with the national response. To the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beirut thanks for the staunch support!

“There is a growing tendency of irrational and incorrect use of antibiotics among patients due to a lack of knowledge and awareness” says Dr Jasmina Bukejlovic, a dentist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. “I encounter many patients who initiate treatment on their own initiative, for example, in the case of an acute toothache, and discontinue treatment when they feel the pain is resolved or extend treatment by buying a new pack of antibiotics. Stricter controls are necessary when dispensing and selling antibiotics. We also need to inform the public about the importance of the appropriate use of antibiotics, and the danger of antimicrobial resistance (#AMR) and its consequences.” “Today, we must prioritize and support updating and optimizing treatment protocols as well as the development of new antibiotics. As dental professionals, we have the responsibility to apply evidence-based medicine daily in the fight against #AMR.” #WHOEuro is sharing #Stories_of_AMR throughout the year, from countries across the European Region to raise awareness about the serious impact of #AMR. Let’s prevent #AMR together. #AMRAwareness; #onehealth; #saveantibiotics; #handlewithcare; #HealthForAll

“I don’t even remember the last time I had a drink. It’s just not something I think about. I never really got into alcohol – I just found I didn’t need it to have fun,” shares Denise from Germany. The actress and singer continues: “I can dance without it, enjoy a party without it. It’s just not something that interests me much.” 💃 Denise finds fulfilment in ways that do not involve a drink in hand and notices how her choices positively affect those around her as well. “When my husband and I host friends, no one expects alcohol anymore and often they don’t miss it. I think people enjoy the alcohol-free experience more than they expect. It can be liberating to have a night without the pressure to drink.” 🌟 👀 Read her full story to find out more about the benefits she feels without alcohol, and how she navigates her professional life in the entertainment industry where alcohol is ever-present: https://bit.ly/3OqUFAt Denise shared her story with us as part of the #RedefineAlcohol campaign. For more stories like hers visit our campaign website: https://bit.ly/3zD2i33 #LessAlcohol #EVIDAction

Caring for older relatives?    They might experience severe COVID-19 and influenza.    The pandemic taught us how to protect ourselves and others from respiratory diseases.    Take 4 simple actions #LikeOnlyYouCan:    stay 🏠if sick  wear a 😷 in crowds  clean your 🙌  ventilate your 🏠 

📢 Join us for the webinar marking one year since the High-Level Technical Summit on Diabetes. The event, hosted by WHO/Europe and International Diabetes Federation Europe, will highlight and discuss progress made on diabetes over the past year across the WHO European Region. 📅28 November 2024, 09:30–11:00 CET What to expect from the event: 🔵Country case studies. 🔵Insights from policymakers, health care professionals, and individuals with lived experiences. 🔵Strategies and best practices to accelerate action on diabetes. The event will inspire regional collaboration to reach the five global diabetes targets by 2030: ✅ 80% of people with diabetes are diagnosed. ✅ 80% of diagnosed individuals with good glycaemic control. ✅ 80% of diagnosed individuals with good blood pressure control. ✅ 60% of adults (40+) with diabetes receiving statins. ✅ 100% of people with type 1 diabetes have access to affordable insulin and blood glucose monitoring. 👉 Register now: https://bit.ly/3ZmkXu8

🌍 Health Promotion Conference 2024 addresses health inequality in a changing world. Each year in Estonia, the National Institute for Health Development, the Health Insurance Fund, WHO Estonia and the Ministry of Social Affairs organize Estonia's Health Promotion Conference. This conference is one of Estonia’s longest-running events dedicated to advancing public health and its 28th edition celebrated on November 14 received 200 attendees on-site and many more online. This year’s theme centred on health inequality, examining the impact of societal shifts and crises on health disparities and how these inequities shape health-related choices and opportunities. Triin Habicht, Senior Health Economist at the #WHOBarcelona Office for Health Systems Financing delivered a keynote titled "Why it is so easy to implement policies that widen health inequalities": Key highlights: 🔎 policy impacts across socioeconomic backgrounds 🚀the importance of strengthening #FinancialProtection, making affordable access to health care for all ☂️UHC Watch, a digital platform tracking progress on affordable health care in Europe and Central Asia - bit.ly/uhcwatch 📘Read more about Financial Protection in Estonia: Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Estonia 2023 - bit.ly/estfp Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Estonia 2023 (in Estonian) - bit.ly/fpest Good practice brief: Automating and increasing protection from user charges for outpatient medicines: the Estonian experience - bit.ly/gpbest