Embassy of Sweden and AstraZeneca held the first “Prevention Summit” in Madrid, a venue where public health experts came together to promote prevention as a priority on the European public health agenda and strategies, particularly in the area of infectious diseases of the respiratory system.
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the need to have plans in place to prepare for and respond to potential health security threats. Fortunately, Covid-19 no longer causes the extreme situations we experienced in 2020, but both SARS-CoV-2 and the influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or human metapneumovirus (hMPV), continue to pose significant health risks, especially to the most vulnerable populations, and they continue to strain health systems around the world year after year.
Prevention and public-private cooperation
In this context, the Spanish and Swedish health authorities discussed challenges and current strategies in the field of public health, focusing on the importance of prevention and public-private sector cooperation.
He President of AstraZeneca, Rick Suarezstressed that “we are at a historical moment marked by the constant threat of global health challenges such as epidemics, climate change or overpopulation. Given this situation, one of the cornerstones on which we must build our strategies is prevention: anticipating potential crises and minimizing their impact if they occur. At AstraZeneca, we are committed to collaborating with the scientific community and health authorities to lead efforts to actively address these challenges, fostering innovative solutions and helping to strengthen our response capacity.”
In 2014, Sweden established a Public Health Agency, which played a decisive role in the fight against the pandemic. In Spain, we are following these steps, and currently a law is pending in Congress to establish a State Public Health Agency, which will serve to monitor, detect and evaluate the health status of the population, as well as to identify problems or risks that may arise in the field of public health, with a particular focus on health inequalities.
He Doctor Pedro Gullon, Director General of Public Health and Equity, Ministry of Health, Government of SpainAnd Dr. Karin Tegmark Wisell, Director General of the Swedish Public Health Agencyreflected on the evolution of the concept of public health over the years, which has gained unprecedented importance in the wake of the pandemic. In this regard, both shared their vision of the role of preventive treatments such as vaccines, which have proven to be one of the most effective tools in preventing Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
According to Dr. Pedro Gullon, “A public health vision must play a central role in health policy at local and global levels. Focusing on prevention, social determinants of health and health in all policies is the only way to address current and future health challenges.”
During the day, the lessons and challenges that the various autonomous communities have faced during the pandemic were presented. To this end, the day was attended by Dr. Laura RuizDirector General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Council of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha; he Dr. Jorge del DiegoDirector General of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation, Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, Government of Andalusia; and Dr. Yolanda MarquezDirector General of Public Health of the Extremadura Health Service.
They all agreed that vaccination campaigns and personal protective measures are essential to control the spread of the virus and mitigate its most serious impact on the population. They also stressed the ongoing threat that the virus poses to vulnerable populations and that other seasonal diseases, such as influenza, continue to put significant pressure on health systems. In this regard, they stressed the importance of dedicating public and private resources to prevention in order to avoid future health crises and ensure the sustainability of the health system.