Health Threat Unit (European Commission)
- Health Threat Unit (European Commission)
The Health Threat Unit of the Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (European Commission), is responsible for terrorism surveillance and early warning of biological, chemical, and radiological threats within the European Union. The Health Threat Unit runs the "Rapid Alert System", which conducts surveillance on communicable diseases and diseases caused by acts of bioterrorism. The surveillance data are coordinated and evaluated by the "Health Emergency Operations Facility". Health threat information and warnings are sent to the member states by the Communication and Crisis Center ("BICHAT") and the Security Office in Brussels, Belgium.
Criteria for notification
The BICHAT sends a warning to the EU member states, within one hour of receiving a warning, when there is:
* Suspicion of danger
* Internationally relevant events; need for a complex response
* Need for coordination (investigative and control actions)
* Suspicion of deliberate action of a terrorist organization
* Risk of trans-frontier spread of the agent/event
* Need for assistance from other countries
Other responbilities
Besides bioterorism, the Health Threat Unit also has responsibility for other reportable diseases:
* Diseases preventable by vaccination
* Sexually transmitted diseases
* Viral hepatitis
* Food- and water-borne diseases and diseases of environmental origin
* Air-borne diseases
* Zoonotic diseases
* Diseases transmitted by non-conventional agents
* Serious imported diseases
* Special Health Issues (nosocomial infections; antimicrobial resistance)
Working groups
Within the Health Threat Unit, there are seven working groups responsible for various aspects of bio-defense:
* Preparedness and response planning
* Chemical threats
* Prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine
* Incident investigation and sampling
* Medicinal products
* Co-operation between laboratories
* Risk communication
ee also
* Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI)
* Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism
* European BioSafety Association (EBSA)
* European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
* European program for intervention epidemiology training (EPIET)
ource
* [http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_threats/threats_en.htm Threats to health] (European Union)
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (European Commission) — The Directorate General for Health and Consumers, formerly Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection and often abbreviated as SANCO or DG SANCO for the French words Santé (Health) Consommateurs (Consumers), is a Directorate General… … Wikipedia
Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (European Commission) — European Union This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the European Union … Wikipedia
List of health topics (H) — * H. Keith H. Brodie * H. R. Cox * H. Winter Griffith * H.E.L.P. International * H1N2 * H5N1 * Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury * Habitat conservation * Hacettepe University * Hackensack University Medical Center * Haddon Matrix * Haight Ashbury Free… … Wikipedia
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control — Infobox European Union agency name=European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control x = 131 y = 79 location= pillar=European Community signdate=March 2004 establish=March, 2005 director=Zsuzsanna Jakab website= [http://www.ecdc.europa.eu… … Wikipedia
Health and Disease — ▪ 2009 Introduction Food and Drug Safety. In 2008 the contamination of infant formula and related dairy products with melamine in China led to widespread health problems in children, including urinary problems and possible renal tube… … Universalium
European Union — 1. an association of European nations formed in 1993 for the purpose of achieving political and economic integration. Formerly known as the European Economic Community, the European Union s member states are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,… … Universalium
Health effects of tobacco — Part of a series on Tobacco … Wikipedia
Defense Threat Reduction Agency — Seal … Wikipedia
Global Health Security Initiative — The Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) is an international partnership between countries in order to supplement and strengthen their preparedness to repond to threats of biological, chemical, radio nuclear terrorism (CBRN) and pandemic… … Wikipedia
Climatic Research Unit email controversy — Date 17 November 2009 Location Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia Also known as Climategate Inquiries House of Commons Science and Technology Committee (UK)[1] Independent Climate Change Review (UK) International Science Assessment … Wikipedia
