WHO Regional Office for Europe

🙏❤️ “I want to say a very big thank you, but there aren’t enough words, because the medevac programme literally saved my child’s life.” 👶✨ Baby Sofiia was a patient at Okhmatdyt hospital, Ukraine, when it was hit by a Russian air strike. With no prospect of treatment in Ukraine for her complex needs, Sofiia was transported to Germany through the medevac programme. 🚑✈️ It was a perilous journey for fragile Sofiia. There was a risk she would not survive the journey. 💔 Thankfully, Sofiia arrived safely 🙏 and has now had several life-changing operations in Germany. 💉🌟 Her future is looking optimistic. 🌈 She’s almost ready to be discharged from hospital 🏥 and, eventually, to return home. 🏡 🌍 Sofiia is one of over 5,000 patients transported abroad by the medevac programme, run since 2022 by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, with technical support from WHO and co-funded by the European Union. 🤝 📖 Read her story here: https://bit.ly/4jO37Zd European Commission Ministry of health of Ukraine Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz

Poliovirus detections in Europe are a wake-up call: #polio is still a threat and vaccination is still vital. Europe has been free of endemic polio since 2002. But as long as poliovirus is circulating anywhere, importations into this Region are inevitable. In recent months there has been an unusually high number of poliovirus detections in wastewater systems in the WHO European Region. From September through December 2024, vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) was detected in wastewater systems of 14 cities in 5 European countries. Every importation of any harmful poliovirus into Europe is a wake-up call – polio may be forgotten by many, but it is not gone, and it still poses a risk to the unvaccinated in Europe and every other region in the world. Read more about these detections and how countries can step up efforts to prevent polio outbreaks in my joint editorial with ECDC Director Pamela Rendi-Wagner 👉 https://bit.ly/4jEWiZw European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) World Health Organization WHO Regional Office for Europe

Ageing is living. It’s a privilege. It’s a lifelong journey. But what can we do to add life to those precious extra years? That was the key question of our second public hearing today as we shape our new European Programme of Work – #EPW2 – which prioritizes healthy ageing amid rapidly shifting demographics. Over 1,000 participants from WHO/Europe Member States, academia, civil society, and other stakeholders have joined the discussion. Right now, Europe is ageing at an unprecedented rate. By 2050, the number of people aged 80+ will triple. Today, older people in our region already outnumber the young. Yet, while we’re living longer, we’re not living healthier. 🚨 The silent epidemics of ageism & isolation are taking a toll: 🔹 1 in 3 experiences ageism. 🔹 1 in 4 older adults feels isolated. 🔹 Social isolation raises the risk of early death by 25%. So, what do we do? We need a paradigm shift. Healthy ageing starts at birth—or even before. That means: 🔹 Investing in prevention throughout life 🔹 Strengthening primary health care to treat BOTH physical & mental health in older adults 🔹 Ensuring all parts of the care system work together - from acute care to long-term & end-of-life care 🔹 Supporting the health workforce (because 1 in 3 doctors & 1 in 5 nurses are 55+) 🔹 Prioritizing dignity, mental health & human connection Because ageing isn’t just an individual journey—it’s a collective one. And no one should have to do it alone. Register for our upcoming #EPW2 public hearings & be part of the change 👉 https://bit.ly/4fM9Nn7 #HealthForAll World Health Organization WHO Regional Office for Europe Melitta Jakab Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Pieter Vanhuysse Luka Delak

🤖 What might the future Health Workforce look like? Call for expressions of interest: WHO is seeking partners to help us imagine the future of modelling for the health workforce in Europe. Health systems face unprecedented challenges, from growing and ageing populations to global workforce shortages and increasing demands for flexible, resilient health services. Planning how the health workforce should be structured to meet these challenges is vital to health system resilience, as well as workforce sustainability and deployment. WHO/Europe is convening a diverse group of experts for a 2.5-day Symposium on Health Workforce Modelling for Action at UN City, Copenhagen, 28–30 April 2025, where they will explore ways to advance innovative practices in health workforce modelling to support Member States as they seek to build sustainable, capable workforces for the future. To prompt this exciting discussion, we are inviting participants j to submit an abstract on one of the following panel themes, outlining how the field you are working in relates to healthcare and workforce delivery:  • Complexity and systems thinking - how do we identify and explore uncertainty and areas of perma-crisis?  • Intersectoral approaches to modelling: Health systems as a ‘safety critical’ service industry  • Moving from information to intelligence; Integrating qualitative and quantitative data  • Leadership and systemic change: Modelling in the realm of professionalisation, power structures, hierarchy and incentives  • Or other novel ways of modelling the health workforce of the future The deadline for abstract submissions is 31 January 2025. To register your attendance at the Symposium and to express your interest in submitting an abstract, please complete our registration form: https://lnkd.in/dTzqBRye Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Cris Scotter Åsa Olsson Eszter Kovacs Hughes, Janette Tomas Zapata Alison Leary Brian Castellani Nial Ferguson Markus Lingman Tom Hughes-Waage Hans Winberg

ECDC’s director joined experts from across the Agency in attending the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) - WHO Regional Office for Europe Programmes’ Coordination Annual Meeting to discuss tackling shared health challenges and leveraging our strengths to fight for better public health in Europe. In advance of the official meeting, ECDC’s director had a bilateral meeting with Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe to discuss their visions for the next few years and strengthening cooperation to further improve the critical work we do to address the numerous public health challenges we face. Working together, ECDC and WHO Europe can maximise impact and build a safer, better prepared continent. #Cooperation #PublicHealth #Prevention

📣 Looking for #HealthAI experts to join the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health. The group will provide expert guidance to WHO/Europe on integrating ethical principles and effective governance of health AI in Europe, support the development of activities, and identify solutions for scaling AI tools in healthcare. We welcome researchers, public health practitioners, policymakers, healthcare providers, innovators, and other experts. Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/WHOTAGAI David Novillo Ortiz, PhD Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Hans Kluge

📈 Improving child and adolescent health and well-being in Europe   I invite you to read an insightful article on this crucial topic, featured in Nature Magazine by my colleagues - Sophie Jullien, Martin W. Weber, Susanne Carai, João Breda and Natasha Azzopardi Muscat. The latest trends in this area are deeply concerning: 🔹 Obesity rates are rising 🔹 Adolescent mental health is deteriorating 🔹 The digital environment presents new risks 🔹 Breastfeeding rates remain low 🔹 Many children face developmental challenges 🔹 Displaced children struggle with significant health issues As the authors rightly conclude, we need a comprehensive strategy to address these challenges – one that leads to increased investment, stronger protection from commercial harm, effective governance, and accountability to improve health outcomes and this is what we are taking forward as WHO Regional Office for Europe. 📖 Read the full article and join the conversation on how we can better support our future generations: https://bit.ly/4gg8aOR #HealthForAll

📢 STARTING SOON. Join: 🔵 Pieter Vanhuysse - Professor Political Economy & Public Policy, University of Southern Denmark 🔵 Alexei Buzu - Minister of Labour and Social Protection Republic of Moldova 🔵 Dr Heidrun Mollenkopf - President, AGE Platform Europe For our second EPW2 hearing on ‘ageing is living’. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4fM9Nn7

In March 2023, Ihor’s life changed forever. A bomb struck the site where he was working in Ukraine, shattering his hips and pelvis. 💥 He was told he might never walk again. Through the Ukrainian Ministry of Health’s medevac programme, Ihor was evacuated to Austria, where he received hip replacements and intensive rehabilitation. 🏥✨ Today, against all odds, Ihor is walking again. 🚶♂️💪 "Thanks to the medical evacuation programme, I am able to walk. I am able to be happy for my children, for my happy wife." ❤️👨👩👧👦 This life-saving programme has already connected 5,000+ Ukrainian patients with specialist medical care abroad. 🌍🏥 Saving lives, building futures. 💙 Read the whole story: https://bit.ly/3VjseHR European Commission Ministry of health of Ukraine Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz

Sebastiano is 105 years old and lives in Sardinia, Italy. He says he feels “aged”, but not old, and the secret to a happy life is making sure you are surrounded by friends and family, and always having something to do. #UnitedActionForBetterHealth