From May 18 to 22, 2015, Florence will host the 24th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW 2015), the premier international forum to present and discuss progress in research, development, standards, and applications of the topics related to the Web. WWW 2015 will offer high quality technical activities, including research sessions, poster sessions, workshops, tutorials, demonstrations, an industry track, a developers track, panels, and a Ph.D. symposium.
According to the last news from FluNews Europe, the current wave of influenza is causing a higher level of mortality among elderly people compared to the four previous seasons. In fact, an excess of all-cause mortality among the elderly (aged ≥65 years), concomitant with increased influenza activity and the predominance of A(H3N2) viruses, has been observed in recent weeks in Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales).
Tackling pandemics and epidemics is an intricate process, which necessitates effective interaction among many stakeholders. As this interaction must happen very quickly and under intense public scrutiny, preparedness is essential. The network of stakeholders can only be prepared well through building trust and good working relationships prior to the incident. In addition, identifying and discussing important policy issues and examining how they can be improved, can only be done comprehensively through considering the points of view of all the main stakeholders.
The recent terror attack in Paris has raised the fear in Europe, but the threat regards many countries all over the world. While the French drama was on, in Nigeria more than 2,000 people were killed and in the following days children were loaded with bombs and used as living weapons in the crowd. It is then clear that terrorist groups currently menacing the world have no scruples in using any kind of weapons. In this scenario, even a biological attack is an option that cannot be excluded.
USA are experiencing a peak in influenza activity, with the influenza A(H3N2) viruses being the most recurrent strain so far this season. A(H3N2) viruses are predominating also in Europe and in both cases they exhibit antigenic differences to the virus included in the 2014–2015 northern hemisphere influenza vaccine.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has decided to hold a three-day Scientific Conference in October 2015 in Milan, in concomitance with the World Expo 2015 that the city will host from May to October and in liaison with national organisations, EU agencies, the European Commission and international risk assessment bodies. An international Advisory Committee has guided EFSA on the proposed programme. An international Advisory Committee has guided EFSA on the proposed programme.
TELL ME is a 36-month Collaborative Project, which aims to provide evidence and to develop models for improved risk communication during infectious disease crises. TELL ME combines public health, social sciences, behavioural sciences, political sciences, law, ethics, communication and media, in order to develop original communication strategies regarding complicated messages and advice based on uncertainties, also addressing vaccine-resistant groups.
Here is a list of the TELL ME deliverables that have strong implications with the ASSET aims and purposes:
The ability to rapidly recognize and respond to both global and local health threats remains a critical public health priority. The ever-growing digital world represents an unprecedented opportunity to harvest for new solutions and tools to face these emergencies. This digital means of disease detection has been made possible by the growing influence of Internet technology, which has significantly changed the landscape of public health surveillance and epidemic intelligence gathering.
