EPHO3: Health protection including environmental occupational, food safety and others
The purpose of this essential public health operation (EPHO) is to use intelligence from surveillance and monitoring in developing services that are meant to protect health from communicable diseases and environmental risks and hazards.
A recent self-assessment of public health services in 41 of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region found that:
- Policy frameworks are in place in all countries within the WHO European Region for controlling communicable diseases. However, implementation of policy and legislation to address environmental challenges such as water and air quality is underdeveloped in many countries.
- Legislation is in place in most countries for assessing risks for occupational health, food safety and a number of environmental exposures. However, technical capacity to conduct risk assessments is not fully developed across the Region.
- Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance is variable across the Region and in many countries national coordinated surveillance is unavailable.
As a result, a recommendation was made to strengthen health protection by identifying future hazards and weaknesses in current services to inform planning, and to ensure enforcement of legislation.
Communicable diseases
WHO/Europe has a number of specific programmes addressing communicable disease threats, for example, antimicrobial resistance, seasonal and pandemic influenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis.
Prison health
WHO/Europe supports Members States in improving prison health by facilitating the links between prison heath and public health systems.
Climate change, green health services and sustainable development
WHO/Europe also helps countries understand the health effects of climate change and in implementing the European Regional Framework for Action endorsed at the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health held in Parma in 2010.
Environmental health risk assessment and management
WHO develops methods and tools to assess the complex health impacts of new developments, such as industrial infrastructures and new technologies (e.g. nanotechnology).
Water and sanitation
WHO/Europe works to increase access to safe water and sanitation, specifically addressing inequities in the Region. This work is within the framework of the Protocol on Water and Health presented to the 1992 Convention on theProtection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and the water and health components of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution.
Food safety
WHO/Europe’s food safety programme supports countries in building capacity to manage food safety. Assistance is provided in developing mechanisms and tools for an intersectoral food safety system, monitoring contamination of chemical and microbiological hazards, and surveillance of foodborne diseases.
