ASPHER Public Health Emergencies Task Force
(Previously the ASPHER COVID-19 Task Force)
As the World emerges from the acute pandemic emergency, the ASPHER Covid-19 Task Force has begun to consider other health emergencies of concern, thus broadening focus and becoming the ASPHER Public Health Emergencies Task Force. The PHE-TF is still very rooted in the origins of its formation under Covid-19 and continues to consider the lessons that can and must be learned from the pandemic, while at the same time, members are focussing on the future and preparedness for threats that are on the horizon.
The TF will continue its interdisciplinary work, fostering collaboration and trust being built as a flexible, bottom-up organisation with strong emphasis on involving young professionals.
If you wish to participate in the PHE-TF, please contact Robert at: robert.otok@aspher.org.
NEW The Pandemic Agreement:A Springboard for Urgent Progress or a Safety Net for Basic Commitments? Download here.
COVID-19 Lessons Learned
NEW Learning about the European Burden of Disease from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Joint ASPHER/burden-eu Statement of shared understandings and on future directions for Burden of Disease strategies Download here.
NEW The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Public Health Teacher - the lessons we must learn. December 2023 Download here.
NEW ASPHER pandemic health inequalities series –Examining the COVID-19 pandemic’s unequal Burden of Disease Dowload here.
COVID 19 Task Force Initatives
ASPHER Statement: Planning for Winter 2022-23
ASPHER Statement: Facing the Fourth Winter of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Opinion: Monkeypox: Did we learn the lesson from COVID-19?
Updating Core Competencies in Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (UCCAIDE): Technical Report and Self Assessment Tool
Two Years of COVID-19: ASPHER statement marking two years of the COVID-19 pandemic
Thank You to the Public Health Community: ASPHER and EUPHA thank the public health community
ASPHER COVID-19 Statement: ASPHER statement on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak emergency.
Invest in primary health care and public health for the pandemic and beyond: ASPHER Statement
ASPHER Public Health Erosion Statement: The Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) Statement on the Erosion of Public Health Systems
The Role of European Schools and University Departments of Public Health in the 2020 COVID-19 Response: ASPHER Survey Report
COVID-19 Situation Reporting across Europe
Country Situation Reporting archives
COVID-19 Pandemic Waves
‘COVID-DO-IT-ALL’ We need Integrated Protection Systems and Strategies Against Omicron and other COVID-19 variants. ASPHER Statement
COVID-19 Pandemic Waves Surveillance in another Severe Winter of 2021: A basic guide to understand epidemic contexts, interpret pandemic waves and trends, ahead of the curve. ASPHER Report
How can European Schools of Public Health promote understanding, explaining and teaching about pandemic waves? ASPHER Statement
Déjà vu? Planning for the Covid-19 third wave and planning for the winter. ASPHER Statement
COVID-19 is at a Crossroads in Europe in Summer 2021: Risks of the Third Wave and the need to anticipate scenarios considering pitfalls. ASPHER Report
Planning for Winter Report: Planning for a second wave pandemic of COVID-19 and planning for winter
COVID-19 Lockdown Illnesses Report: What are the COVID-19 Lockdown-induced illnesses and why should European public health systems be investigating their epidemiology, treatment, and prevention?
COVID-19 Herd Immunity Report: Getting Through the Pandemic in Europe in the Winter of 2020/21 The Misuse of COVID-19 Herd Immunity Argument
Vitamin D and COVID-19 Report: Vitamin D for Preventive and Adjunct Therapy for Mitigation of Early Stages of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome due to COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
De-escalation planning/regulations in aftermath: webplatform on the state of the emergence from lockdown and recovery
COVID-19 lockdown rules in selected European countries (30.12.2020) (including meeting indoors, meeting outdoors, pubs and bars, restaurants, entertainment, close contact retail, non-essential shops, universities, schools, public services, work places, travel in and out, wedding/funeral, places of worship, vaccination) (pdf version)
School Reopening:
Phase 2: January 2021 Rapid Response Survey Report
Phase 1: July 2020 Rapid Response Survey Report
Inequalities and Vulnerable populations subgroup webplatform
How are inequalities in health from Long COVID being exacerbated and what are the strategic implications for more equitable support for those with enduring clinical sequelae of infection? ASPHER Statement
Addressing the long shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic’s unjust, unequal, deep, widespread and enduring impacts over the next decade. Second ASPHER Statement on the Pandemic Impacts on Health Inequalities in Disadvantaged Vulnerable Populations in the European Region
Intimate Partner Violence. The impact of COVID-19 on intimate partner violence in Europe
ASPHER Report on Homelessness and Pandemic Measures: COVID-19 and People Experiencing Homelessness: Reported Measures Implemented in the European Region during the Pandemic
ASPHER Statement on vaccination in Palestine: The Right to COVID-19 Vaccination must be extended to Palestinians
Prisons and COVID-19 Report: Prisons and COVID-19 policies: the need for collaborative and participatory health interventions
Inequalities and Vulnerable populations Statement: First Statement of the ASPHER COVID-19 Task Group on Health Inequalities and Vulnerable Populations
Inequalities and Vulnerable populations Report: Ethical and Professional Guidance for Public Health Academics and Professionals: How should we evaluate Country-level Rapid Reviews of Pandemic Impacts on Health Inequalities and Vulnerable population groups?
Inequalities Basic Terms: What is Inequality? Basic Health Inequality Concepts for Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic
ASPHER Comment on PHRI Statement: ASPHER Comment on the Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) Satement of the 7 Aprl 2020 | Statement of PHRI calling on Israel to take measures to save lives
Children's Issues
ASPHER Statement: Vaccinating Children and Young People: What are the issues?
ASPHER Statement: Children and COVID-19 Closing or keep opening the schools: The consequences
ASPHER Technical Report: Children and COVID-19 Closing or keep opening the schools: The consequences
Infographic: COVID-19 School Challenges
ASPHER Statement on Children's Issues: First Statement of ASPHER on COVID-19 and its Impacts on Children During and After the Pandemic
Mask Use by Children Statement: ASPHER Statement on the Use of Masks by Children
Vaccines
ASPHER Statement: A vaccine waiver now
ASPHER Statement: Vaccinating Children and Young People: What are the issues?
The Importance of Health Communication during Emergencies: The Mix-and-Match Question. (English)
Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs about the Covid-19 Vaccine
ASPHER Statement in response to new CDC guidelines for vaccinated indivduals: ASPHER Statement on the Abolition of Mandatory Prevention Measures in the US for Fully Vaccinated Individuals
Two months after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) ruling on the safety of the Astra-Zeneca Covid-19 (Vaxzevria®) vaccine, ASPHER provides an update. (English)
ASPHER welcomes European Medicines Agency judgement on the safety of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. (English) (French)
Vaccine Internationalism Statement: Towards ‘vaccine internationalism’ an ASPHER statement on the need for an equitable and coordinated global vaccination approach to effectively combat COVID-19
Vaccine Priority and Planning Statement: ASPHER statement on the need for a coordinated, professional approach to policy and planning for COVID-19 vaccination roll-out
ASPHER Statement on vaccination in Palestine: The Right to COVID-19 Vaccination must be extended to Palestinians
Vaccine nationalism will hinder our ability to effectively combat covid-19 (BMJ Opinion) January 2021: We need an equitable and coordinated global approach to Covid-19 vaccination
ASPHER COVID-19 Vaccine Statement (BMJ Opinion); November 2020: Covid-19 vaccines-where are the data?
ASPHER COVID-19 Vaccine Statement (BMJ Opinion); September 2020: Vaccines for Covid-19: reasons for hope, but first for concern
Epidemiology
Handbook on Basic Epidemiological Terms: How to Count Illness: Basic epidemiological concepts for understanding the COVID-19 epidemic
Updated 2nd Edition of How to Count Illness now available! Now in Italian!
Spanish and Romanian Translations now available.
Masks
Statement on New Mask Use Regulations: Statement on the New Recommendations for the Use of Masks Following the Spread of SARS-Cov-2 Variants
Masks Use Statement: ASPHER Statement on the Strategic Use of Masks
Masks Use Report: Technical Report: Strategic use of masks as an element of a non-pharmaceutical measures set for a pandemic
Masks Use Infographic: Infographic: Protocol for Strategic Use of Masks
Mask Use by Children Statement: ASPHER Statement on the Use of Masks by Children (Updated 9 July 2020 and new translations)
Testing
COVID-19 Testing 3rd Statement: Lateral Flow Antigen Tests - not a panacea for freedom from the pandemic
Educational Testing Video: Fixed Cut-off? Think Again...
COVID-19 Testing 2nd Statement: COVID-19 testing from a public health perspective: Selection of test, cut-off and sampling scheme should depend on the purpose of testing
COVID-19 Testing Statement: ASPHER Statement on the COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19 Testing Report: Technical Report: COVID-19 testing: A reflection on test accuracy in the real world
COVID-19 Testing Decision Tree: COVID-19 Testing decision tree
Surveillance and Tracking Applications
Surveillance/Tracking Apps Statement: ASPHER Statement – Contact Tracing Apps
Surveillance/Tracking Apps Report: Policy Report: Contact Tracing Apps for COVID-19 - An Overview of the European Region
Surveillance/Tracking Apps Basic Terms: Repository of Basic Technical Terms
The ASPHER COVID-19 Task Force is teaming up with the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) to provide rapid reporting for Cross Country Analysis on policy responses to the COVID-19 crisis. HSRM is a joint undertaking of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Commission, and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.
Task Force Members
Chair:
Nadav DAVIDOVITCH, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, ISRAEL
Members:
Hamzeh AL ZABADI, An-Najah National University, PALESTINE
Lukasz BALWICKI, Medical University of Gdansk, POLAND
Henrique BARROS, University of Porto, PORTUGAL
Ariane BAUERNFEIND, EASP, Granada, SPAIN
Vesna BJEGOVIC-MIKANOVIC, University of Belgrade, SERBIA
Robert BUCKINGHAM, University of Michigan-Flint, USA
Laurent CHAMBAUD, EHESP, Rennes, FRANCE
Kasia CZABANOWSKA, Maastricht University, THE NETHERLANDS
Jeannette DE BOER, NSPOH, Groningen, NETHERLANDS
Alberto FERNÁNDEZ, EASP, Granada, SPAIN
Anders FOLDSPANG, Emeritus, Aarhus University, DENMARK
Manfred GREEN, University of Haifa, ISRAEL
Ondrej HOLY, Palacky University Olomouc, CZECHIA
Tadeusz JEDRZEJCZYK, Medical University of Gdansk, POLAND
Ramune KALEDIENE, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LITHUANIA
Janus KOCIK, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, POLAND
Polychronis KOSTOULAS, University of Thessaly, GREECE
Jutta LINDERT, Emden-Leer University of Applied Sciences, GERMANY
Henrique LOPES, NOVA University, Lisbon, PORTUGAL
Avi MAGID, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, ISRAEL
Jose M MARTIN-MORENO, University of Valencia, SPAIN
Amanda MASON-JONES, University of York, UK
Alison MCCALLUM, University of Edinburgh, UK
Kai MICHELSEN, University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, GERMANY
John MIDDLETON, ASPHER Past-President
Jean-Philippe NABOULET, EHESP, FRANCE
Anna ODONE, University of Pavia, ITALY
Vasco Ricoca PEIXOTO, National SPH Lisbon NOVA, PORTUGAL
Alena PETRAKOVA, Palacký University Olomouc – Faculty of Health Sciences, CZECHIA
Vladimir PRIKAZSKY, CZECHIA
John REID, University of Chester, UK
Ralf REINTJES, HAW Hamburg, GERMANY
Mohamud SHEEK-HUSSEIN, United Arab Emirates University, UAE
Ines SIEPMANN, Young Professionals Programme Coordinator at ASPHER
Carlo SIGNORELLI, ASPHER President, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, ITALY
Judit SIMON, Medical University of Vienna, AUSTRIA
Natia SKHVITARIDZE, School of Health Sciences, University of Georgia, GEORGIA
Nora VESELA, Palacký University Olomouc – Faculty of Health Sciences, CZECHIA