WHO Regional Office for Europe

Working in the community with the community is key to improving mental health 🤝 This week, in collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Slovenia, the Mental Health Flagship team held a policy dialogue in Ljubljana. The event brought together mental health representatives from Slovenia’s Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the Ministry of Solidarity-based Futures, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), the Social Protection Institute of Public Health (IRSSV) and other key stakeholders to discuss challenges, initiatives, and how WHO/Europe can support Slovenia. Participants heard national perspectives, including presentations on the National Mental Health Programme 2018-2028 and the National Strategy for Deinstitutionalization 2024-2034. Other key discussion topics included lessons learned from piloting de-institutionalization in Nova Gorica and applying these lessons, along with international insights, towards sustainable national implementation. The dialogue featured thematic discussions focused on: 🔹 Promoting strategic alignment: implementing policies that impact community mental health 🔹 Strengthening workforce capacity: addressing financing, NGO-public services cooperation, and the mental health of the workforce 🔹 Involving people with lived experiences: exploring opportunities for co-creation in Slovenia This dialogue is one of 29 policy dialogues under our partnership with the European Commission, aimed at protecting and promoting mental health across 27 countries in Europe, Iceland, and Norway. Through this project, we aim to equip policymakers and the health and care workforce with the skills and capacities to improve population mental health and well-being. Learn more about how we're working together to improve mental #HealthForAll: bit.ly/WHOandEU4MH --- Ledia Lazëri Melita Murko Ana Maria Tijerino Inestroza Cassie Redlich Jason Maurer Ida Strömgren Matej Vinko Suzana Oreski Stefan Craenen Yvette Azzopardi Ingibjörg Sveinsdóttir Ph.D.

Spain’s experience demonstrates how leveraging insights from the WHO/Europe Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) survey is instrumental in shaping policies that promote healthier environments for children to tackle the #obesity epidemic. WHO/Europe’s global COSI initiative has tracked childhood obesity trends since 2007, helping countries: ✅ Define the problem of childhood overweight and obesity in their countries. ✅ Monitor changes over time. ✅ Compare progress with other countries. ✅ Inform policy action. The data supports countries preparing for the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (#NCDs), striving to halt obesity and meet the Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.4 to reduce premature NCD deaths. 👇 https://bit.ly/4eW3ugm #SDGs

📢 New WHO/Europe fact sheet: childhood #obesity remains a critical public health challenge in the WHO European Region after the heights of the #COVID-19 pandemic. The latest data from the 6th round of the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) highlights concerning trends. 🟡In several countries of the WHO European Region, more than 30% of primary school-aged children are living with overweight and obesity. 🟡In some countries almost one in five children are living with obesity. 🟡Most countries weren’t able to reduce their overweight and obesity levels. 🟡In those countries where changes occurred, increases in obesity levels were more common than decreases. These results have implications beyond health—the epidemic affects education, economic productivity, and overall well-being. Policies must make the healthier choice easier in line with #SDGs and other global commitments. Countries can reduce obesity levels by: ✅Marketing restrictions of unhealthy products ✅Front of pack nutrition labels ✅Reformulation of foods ✅Taxes on sugary drinks ✅Public food procurement policies ✅Promoting school-based nutrition and physical activity programmes ✅Urban design and transport systems to promote active travel 👇 https://bit.ly/4eW3ugm

💬 “When I got diagnosed, I thought I might have 15 years if I’m lucky. Maybe I’ll make 60.” John didn’t think he had long to live when diagnosed with HIV and Hepatitis C 23 years ago. He will turn 70 on his next birthday. John is part of a rapidly growing community of people ageing with HIV. With improvements in the effectiveness of treatment with antiretroviral therapy or ART, people with HIV who are diagnosed early on, treated quickly and who stay on ART can keep the virus suppressed and live long and healthy lives. Read John’s story here: https://bit.ly/3OrUoNw #WorldAIDSDay2024 #EndAIDS #EndHIVStigma

Underdiagnosis and late HIV diagnoses are holding back progress to #EndAIDS in the European Region. The new HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report 2024 released today by WHO/Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that since the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s, over 2.6 million people have been diagnosed with #HIV in the WHO European Region. Key findings of the report are: 🔴 Underdiagnosis and late diagnosis remain the main challenges in efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS in the Region 🔴 Nearly 113,000 HIV diagnoses were reported in 47 out of 53 countries in the Region in 2023 🔴 Despite significant progress made, nearly 1 in 3 people living with HIV in the Region still don’t know their HIV status 🔴 There is the critical need for HIV prevention, early testing, diagnosis and access to treatment to improve people’s health outcomes and reduce transmission, as well as the urgent need to reduce stigma around HIV Read the full media release here: https://bit.ly/4ePsLsG #WorldAIDSDay2024 #EndAIDS #EndHIVStigma

This week 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 from ministries of health in Central Asia came together in Samarkand🇺🇿 for 𝗪𝗛𝗢/𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. As you can hear from some of the sentiments in this video, the course has not only helped participants improve their knowledge of different #HealthWorkforce areas, but has also improved their competencies in leadership and management. This unique gathering of experts from Central Asia shows how much can be learnt from other countries, and the benefits of sharing knowledge and experiences to build sustainable and resilient health systems. Read more about the course here: https://bit.ly/40UPi43 Sulakshana Nandi Yana Andersen Tomas Zapata Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Cris Scotter Margrieta Langins Mafaten Chaouali Tom Hughes-Waage Dr. Parvina Makhmudova Nazokat Kasymova Saltanat Salieva Stela Gheorghita Skender Syla Amanda Shriwise Jessika Yin Natalia Stepanova Alba Llop-Gironés

🌍 Strengthening Primary Health Care in Emergencies: A Collaborative Workshop in Tallinn, Estonia 🌍 Primary health care (PHC) systems are the backbone of public health, playing a vital role in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. As the first point of contact during crises—whether epidemics, floods, or conflicts—PHC systems must be strong, stable, and resilient to meet people's health needs and ensure equitable access to quality care. While robust resources exist for strengthening emergency preparedness at secondary and tertiary care levels, there is a pressing need to further develop tools, guidance, and training tailored to the primary care level. Access to PHC is particularly vital during crises, underscoring the importance of resilient systems. In response to this need, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia are organizing a workshop in Tallinn, Estonia. This event will bring together experts from across the European region to: ✅ Share WHO’s resources on PHC in emergency contexts ✅ Explore country experiences and best practices ✅ Identify critical gaps and needs in PHC preparedness ✅ Strengthen skills through a hands-on simulation exercise #PrimaryHealthCare #EmergencyPreparedness #HealthSystemsResilience #WHO #Estonia #PHCinEmergencies

No one knows your risk like you do. Caring for older relatives? They might experience severe influenza. COVID-19 taught us how to protect ourselves and others from respiratory diseases. Help them to schedule flu vaccination soon - #LikeOnlyYouCan

As explained by our experts in this article in Medscape, our newly launched Long-term care toolkit is designed to help policymakers find gaps in their long-term care systems and develop policies to address them. With a rising burden of disease and disability in Europe’s ageing population, the importance of sustainable, equitable and quality long-term care is increasingly urgent. The toolkit calls for the need to reduce strain on health systems and informal caregivers including by shifting from a reactive to a prevention-oriented approach to care. Read the Medscape article in full here: https://wb.md/4g1t708 #LongTermCare #LTC

Significant progress has been made in #HepatitisB elimination efforts in the Central Asia region, with 3 of the 5 countries being validated for hepatitis B control target. However, the region still faces challenges in diagnosing and treating hepatitis B, with only 11.9% of those estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B have been diagnosed, and just 9.9% of the diagnosed have received treatment. Today in Almaty, Kazakhstan, WHO/Europe with support from Robert Koch Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention kicked-off a two-day regional workshop on #HepatitisB in Central Asia. Together with national public health authorities and implementing partner, we will explore strategic priorities for the elimination of hepatitis B in Central Asia. See more: https://bit.ly/3Z2X759 Stela Bivol