Council supports programme on injury prevention in public health The European Council last week took the Decision, by majority vote, to adopt a programme of Community action on injury prevention in the field of public health (1999-2003). Only the Dutch delegation voted against the decision, which has been adopted in the context of the Frame... The European Council last week took the Decision, by majority vote, to adopt a programme of Community action on injury prevention in the field of public health (1999-2003). Only the Dutch delegation voted against the decision, which has been adopted in the context of the Framework for public health, after approval by both the European Parliament and the Council. The programme will promote epidemiological monitoring of injuries by pooling data collected from the European Community and promoting the exchange of information on injuries. This will be implemented through a Community system which will build on the former European Home and Leisure Accidents Surveillance System (EHLASS). It will also promote the exchange of information regarding the use of this data to help identify priorities for research and prevention strategies. Data for the programme will be collected using surveys and information from hospitals and other appropriate institutions and services. Community networks will also be established for epidemiological monitoring, and will: - Promote concerted approaches to all technical and methodological aspects, in particular codes and definitions and the collection of data; - Make comparable and compatible data available to the system; - Examine the cover provided by existing data-collection systems, and, where necessary, improve it, helping to identifying survey requirements; - Promote the creation of a database that includes results from surveys; - Collect, process, and disseminate information; - Facilitate the identification of dangerous products; - Develop innovative methods of trouble-shooting; - Analyse risk factors and prevention strategies. The programme is allocated ECU 14 million over five years, including ECU 7.5m for the implementation of EHLASS activities. (This was previously included in the sector for Community policy of the Community). Five of the eight programmes adopted within the Community's Framework for public health action are currently being implemented, and cover AIDS and other communicable diseases, cancer, drug dependence, health promotion and health monitoring. The European Parliament will meet shortly to discuss the two remaining programmes which will focus on rare and pollution-related diseases.
