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European Commission Health-EU Newsletter
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In this edition - 23 February 2017
 

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Editorial
EU Health Award 2016 helps NGOs continue the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance
This year's award recognised European NGOs working to reduce the threat to human health from antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Three winners - selected from 26 candidates – were announced on 6 February 2017 at the Horizon Prize and EU Health Award for NGOs joint ceremony in Leuven, Belgium, where they spoke with the Health-EU newsletter. Each was asked about the main focus of their work and the projected impact of winning the prize.
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Key figures

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Project in the Picture
ARNA - Antimicrobial Resistance and causes of Non-prudent use of Antibiotics
The ARNA project aimed to identify key factors that drive the sales and imprudent use of antibiotics without a prescription, assess the level of enforcement of the legislation regarding “prescription only” for antimicrobial agents in the EU, document good practices and develop policy options.
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News from the EU
CANCON Joint Action shares its results at final conference in Malta, 14 - 15 February 2017
The partners of the Cancer Control Joint Action (CANCON), co-financed by the EU Health Programme, presented key results to EU and national policy makers, stakeholders and partners, including CANCON's main deliverable, the European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control.
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HepHIV 2017 Conference in Malta focuses on earlier diagnosis of HIV and viral hepatitus
Organised by HIV in Europe, in collaboration with European stakeholders, the 31 January - 2 February conference was the second European conference to bring together the fields of HIV and viral hepatitis to discuss earlier diagnosis of the two related conditions.
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The SCHEER publishes Final Opinion on UV-C lamps
Following a request from the European Commission, the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) reviewed recent evidence to assess health risks associated with UV-C radiation coming from lamps. Read their conclusions here.
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Public consultation launched on the Preliminary Opinion on the need for non-human primates in biomedical research
Interested parties are invited to submit comments by 26 March 2017 concerning the Opinion on 'The need for non-human primates in biomedical research, production and testing of products and devices'. A public hearing on the preliminary Opinion will held on 14 March 2017.
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112 Day: New technology helps identify caller's location in times of distress
11 February was 112 Day – since 1991, EU citizens have been able to call for help for free, using the Single European Emergency Number 112. Today, the caller's location can be identified in a few Member States, saving countless lives. Some 300,000 callers a year are unable to report their location when calling for help.
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See the impact! EU-funded 'Together' pilot project may have reached close to one million pregnant and breastfeeding women
This infograph shows the impact of the 'Together' pilot project, a European initiative that promoted healthier diets and regular physical activity before, during and after pregnancy. It targeted mums and mums to be, especially from disadvantaged groups.
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Public health: encouraging developments in the area of national cancer screening programmes
The recently published implementation report on the 2003 Council Recommendation on cancer screening reveals a steep rise in national screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer.
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Organ donation and transplantation: record growth in Italy during last 10 years
In 2016, 1596 donors in Italy gave the gift of life by donating organs, mainly kidney, liver and lungs, and 3736 transplants were done in all (Tuscany came in first among the regions, as having the most donors). Thanks to this positive trend, the waiting lists for kidneys and lungs are now shorter.
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French food agency updates nutrition guidelines, calling for some dramatic changes
Following a ten-year update of the country's official nutritional guidance, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) urges the French to make a significant shift towards more pulses and unprocessed cereals and less red and processed meat.
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Sweden launches new 1 billion krona national food strategy
The new strategy is designed to boost Swedish food production, create jobs and improve sustainability by the end of 2019. It also seeks to put more emphasis on healthy food and further raise awareness about the Green Keyhole symbol used to flag up healthier choices.
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EU Press Releases
Healthy food in schools: the Commission and Maltese Presidency present valuable new resource for public procurement authorities
Presented at the 22 - 23 February meeting in Malta on strategies to address childhood obesity, the report addresses a major obstacle in procuring healthy school food, namely the translation of school food standards into adequate procurement contract language.
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Share your views: public consultation to help shape the European Solidarity Corps runs through 31 March 2017
As health is one of the Corp's priorities, health organisations and professionals are particularly encouraged to share their views on the recently launched Corps and to suggest ways to strengthen it. Input from teachers, young people, youth workers, employers and other stakeholders is also welcome.
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Health research: Commission awards €1 million to breakthrough test which distinguishes between viral or bacterial infections
The awards to outstanding health research projects are part of the Commission's efforts to promote better use of antibiotics and fight the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance.
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Forthcoming events
JA-CHRODIS final conference: Addressing Chronic Diseases and Healthy Ageing Across Europe (Brussels, 27 – 28 February 2017)
This is a free one and a half day event, with the first half-day to focus on JA-CHRODIS work and outputs and on how the outcomes of this European collaboration can be used and taken up. The second day will focus on the bigger picture of the challenge of chronic diseases.
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Rare Disease Day (28 February 2017)
This year marks the tenth international Rare Disease Day coordinated by EURORDIS, and the slogan is 'With research, possibilities are limitless'. On and around this day, patient organisations from all over the world will hold awareness-raising activities based on the theme of research.
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New publications
European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control
Intended for governments, parliamentarians, health care providers and funders and cancer care professionals at every level, the Guide is the main delivery of the CANCON joint action and aims to help to reduce not only the cancer burden throughout the EU but also the inequalities in cancer control and care.
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Major EC-funded study I.Family calls upon governments to support families to combat childhood obesity
After five years of examining the health factors of more than 16,000 children in eight EU Member States, the EU-funded I.Family study, published on 9 February, concluded that governments must act to help families improve their children’s health and tackle the obesity epidemic.
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New factsheet sheds light on UV-C lamps
Do UV-C lamps, widely used for disinfection purposes, pose any risk to human health? Read the summary of the Final Opinion on UV-C lamps, just published by the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks.
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European Reference Networks
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