2024-07-19 12:18:42
The IS The Swedish Embassy and AstraZeneca They held the first ‘Prevention Summit’ in Madrid, a space that brought together public health experts to promote prevention as a priority within the European agenda and under public health strategies, especially in the field of infectious diseases the respiratory system.
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the need for preparedness and response plans for potential threats to health security. Fortunately, covid-19 is no longer the cause of the extreme situations we experienced in 2020, but SARS-CoV-2 and the influenza virus, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or the human metaepneumovirus (hMPV) are remain a significant health risk, especially for the most vulnerable population groups, and year after year they put pressure on health systems around the world.
Prevention and public-private collaboration
In that context, health authorities from Spain and Sweden have discussed the current challenges and strategies for public health, focusing on the importance of prevention and public-private collaboration.
he President of AstraZeneca, Rick Suarez, highlighted that “we are in a historical moment under constant threat of global health challenges such as epidemics, climate change or overpopulation. Given this situation, one of the cornerstones on which we must base our strategies is prevention: anticipating potential crises and minimizing their consequences if they occur. At AstraZeneca we are committed to working with the scientific community and health authorities to lead efforts in the proactive management of these challenges, promote innovative solutions and contribute to strengthening our response capabilities.”
Sweden established the Public Health Agency in 2014, which played a critical role during the management of the pandemic. In Spain we are following the steps and the Law for the creation of the State Public Health Agency is currently being processed in Congress, which will serve to monitor, identify and evaluate the health status of the population, as well as identify problems or risks . that may emerge in public health, with particular attention being paid to health inequalities.
he Dr. Pedro Gullón, Director General of Public Health and Equity of the Ministry of Health of the Spanish Governmentand the Dr. Karin Tegmark Wisell, Director General of the Swedish Public Health Agency, to reflect on the evolution of the concept of public health over the years, which is of unprecedented importance after the pandemic. In this regard, the two have shared their vision of the role played by prophylactic treatments, such as vaccines, which are one of the most effective tools to prevent covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
In the words of the Dr. Pedro Gullón, “The vision of public health must play a central role in health policies at the local and global level. The areas of prevention, the vision of the social determinants of health, and the perception of health in all policies are the only way to address current and future health challenges.”
During the day, the learning and challenges that existed during the pandemic from the different autonomous communities were presented. To that end, the day included the participation of Dr. Laura Ruiz, general director of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Community Board of Castilla-La Mancha; he Dr. Jorge del Diego, general director of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation of the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia; and the Dr. Yolanda Márquezgeneral director of Public Health of the Health Service of Extremadura.
They all agreed that vaccination campaigns and individual protection measures were necessary to control the spread of the virus and to mitigate the most serious effects on the population. In addition, they highlighted the ongoing threat of the virus to vulnerable groups and how other seasonal diseases, such as influenza, have the potential to put significant strain on health systems. In that sense, they emphasized the importance of allocating public-private resources to prevention in order to avoid future health crises and guarantee the resilience of the health system.
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