Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-13-Speech-2-127"
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"en.20030513.6.2-127"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am very satisfied to be here with you today in order to present to you the results so far from the Council's work on severe acute respiratory syndrome.
rapid detection of all suspect cases through good surveillance
protection of those at risk of infection through effective isolation in hospitals, with special emphasis on measures to protect carers
particular attention to be paid to air travel, which appears to have been an important factor in the spread of SARS, notably through screening of passengers leaving affected areas, onboard advice to passengers and, finally, through information at airports of entry. These measures must be applied in all the Member States.
As far as future action is concerned, the Council decided that Community action and efforts being made via the communicable diseases surveillance network and the new programme in the public health sector should continue. Cooperation between the Member States, the Commission and the World Health Organisation also needs to continue in order to contain and eventually stop the spread of this atypical pneumonia.
This cooperation must aim mainly to assist the affected areas and develop diagnostic tests to promote research on vaccines and their availability in sufficient quantities.
The Council also urged the Member States and the acceding countries to implement fully all the guidelines of the surveillance network, to contribute actively to setting up a specific expert group on severe acute respiratory syndrome under the Network Committee and to provide by 15 May all relevant information to the Commission on measures taken to address SARS. Finally, I would point out that we encouraged the Commission to continue coordinating the Member States' action and keep the orientations of the surveillance network under regular review.
The Council will review the situation and developments at its meeting on 2 June, at which the Commission will submit a report on measures taken by the Member States. On the basis of this report, the Council will take any further action it deems necessary. Similarly, it supports the Commission's intention to submit an initial draft proposal to create a European Centre for disease prevention and control.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have confined myself to this brief presentation of the work of the Council and am available to answer your questions.
As you know, the Presidency convened an Extraordinary Council on 6 May in order to examine this serious issue which, in addition to the obvious and significant repercussions on public health and the economy, is causing understandable concern among our citizens, which are often exacerbated by the way in which this issue is presented in the media.
Before telling you about the results of the Council, allow me to make a preliminary comment. The case of severe acute respiratory syndrome shows once again that communicable diseases, like many other problems which touch on the public health sector, are another example of bio-terrorism which go well beyond the level of the Member States and point to the need for institutional changes that will raise health protection to a basic priority of united Europe. This prospect will make it much easier to coordinate prevention, control and timely intervention to deal with diseases, both in the Community and internationally.
Allow me to remind you that health still does not hold the position which behoves it at Community level. I am convinced that Europe is the best way to promote ambitious policies in the public health sector in each of our countries, especially with regard to disease prevention and control. In today's Europe, especially after enlargement, health must acquire a stable and strong legal basis which allows for immediate, coordinated, scientific, reliable, efficient intervention.
I should like now to tell you about the results of the work of the Extraordinary Council. I would remind you that the Council on 6 May was attended for the first time by the Ministers for Health of the acceding countries and by Mrs Brundtland, the General Director of the WHO, so that she could bring us up to date with current developments in atypical pneumonia at worldwide level.
As for the scientific, epidemiological side of the problem, according to the experts at the international organisations, we know in brief that a coronavirus which was unrecognised until its recent emergence is the cause of the syndrome. The molecular structure of the virus was identified in a very short space of time, if you remember how long it took to identify the AIDS HIV virus. Although it has been identified, we still do not know its exact natural history, just as we still have no special anti-viral medication to treat it and are a long way from finding a vaccine to prevent it.
As for the method of transmission, there are strong signs that it is transmitted by close contact, most probably via droplets. There is no evidence that goods arriving in the European Union from SARS-infected areas pose a threat to public health.
As far as the epidemiology is concerned, the number of confirmed or suspected cases in the Member States of the European Union remains limited and patients have been effectively isolated and treated, thus so far avoiding further spread of infection and, most importantly, there have been no fatal cases. The Council had a thorough and constructive exchange of views with Mrs Brundtland and noted that the World Health Assembly which is to meet next week will provide an excellent opportunity to review the prevailing situation worldwide and evaluate efforts being made to deal with it.
As far as Community measures to deal with the problem are concerned, I would start by recalling that the application of health protection measures falls to the authorities of the Member States. At Community level, a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases is already operating and is responsible for coordinating measures. The network has provided a very effective basis for the exchange of information, in which the acceding countries have fully participated. The Council endorsed the guidelines agreed on 10 April 2003 by the Network Committee. They are summarised as follows:"@en1
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