Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-04-Speech-1-060"
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"en.20090504.15.1-060"2
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"Mr President, thank you for the opportunity to address Parliament, in its final week, on the global spread of the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Let me first brief you on the current situation, and then on what the EU has been doing to manage this crisis.
The Commission adopted on 30 April a legally binding case definition on the basis of the EU communicable disease legislation, and this decision was published in the Official Journal on 1 May.
Since medical countermeasures such as antivirals and vaccines are at the heart of our public health response to this threat, I met with the European manufacturers on Wednesday 29 April to learn the latest information on which products are in development, on timelines for new vaccines, and to see if EU intervention can speed up delivery. With the Member States, we are examining how to best optimise the use of existing stocks of antivirals, using the coordination mechanism of the EU Health Security Committee.
I can also inform Parliament that, following my request to the Czech Presidency, the Health Council met on 30 April and adopted a set of strong conclusions reiterating the need for a coordinated response to the new influenza threat.
The Council recalled the legal obligation on Member States to coordinate their surveillance and response to health threats, and agreed that restricting travel to affected areas was not a justified public health response. However, the Council also agreed that good public information was essential and that travellers should be able to make informed judgements.
The Commission is now examining a road map for the urgent implementation of the points included in the Council conclusions of 30 April. These will include development of vaccines, vaccine strategy, guidance on best use of stockpiles of vaccines and antivirals, protective and preventative measures and public communication and information.
It is clear that we all benefit from our integrated European economy and society. However, that benefit also brings a responsibility. It means that we must work together to take only those measures that are justified by the evidence. This is essential if we are to avoid a health crisis becoming an economic crisis as well. But we should not focus unduly on the negative aspects of these events. Thanks to the preparation led by the Commission after avian influenza a few years ago, the EU has the systems in place to respond collectively and effectively to this threat.
I know that in recent times, as the European elections approach, this House has debated what Europe really means for citizens. In these difficult days, I think we can see some things more clearly. Europe means solidarity in standing together to face this threat. It means cooperation, sharing information, expertise and capacity so that we can act together on the basis of the best available knowledge. It means innovation, with European-funded research helping to bring a vaccine to production as quickly as possible. It means capability, through the European institutions enabling all Member States to respond immediately and effectively to a shared crisis. That is what Europe brings to citizens.
So, yes, the situation is serious but we are better prepared than ever to meet this threat. And having seen the determination of the health ministers of Europe last week – and all 27 were there – I am confident of our ability to respond in the coming weeks.
The latest European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report states that there are currently 94 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) influenza within the EU and EFTA countries, and 20 probable cases. Most of these people have been to affected areas outside Europe, but not all. Eight human-to-human transmissions have been reported, in one instance even to a health-care worker.
However, we may be glad that none of the patients infected with this virus in the EU has yet died. For over a week we have observed the spread of infections in Mexico, in the USA, in Canada, in EU Member States and in other countries.
In Mexico the impact on public and economic life has grown to a serious scale. We appreciate and acknowledge the enormous efforts the Mexican authorities have made to contain the spread of the virus and to help those suffering from infection.
EU legislation on communicable disease obliges Member States to report on such outbreaks and on the measures they propose to take to mitigate them. The ECDC operates the surveillance networks which follow the number of cases reported. We therefore have a fairly accurate picture across Europe of the developing situation, and this provides the basis for responsibly taking appropriate and effective decisions on how to best make use of our limited resources.
The worldwide picture of infection was severe enough to trigger the WHO to decide on 29 April to upgrade its pandemic alert to phase 5, recognising that human-to-human transmission had taken place in at least two regions. The Commission has worked throughout in close contact and cooperation with the WHO.
My services are working hard to implement the actions to take, as defined by the Community pandemic influenza preparedness plan, in order to address the challenges posed by the current outbreak. The Commission launched its public health operations facility on 24 April and since then my services have been at permanent operational level.
The Commission has called daily meetings of the Communicable Disease Network of Member States and of the EU Health Security Committee since Saturday 25 April. These meetings review the epidemiological situation, discuss and decide on measures and on appropriate legislative acts.
Information for the public on how to prevent infection and to make informed choices about travel has been discussed to ensure a coherent message from all Member States, based on scientific advice by the ECDC, in coordination with the WHO. We decided to extend the surveillance for seasonal flu, which should normally have ended at week 20, in order to identify infections with this new flu virus."@en1
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