News & Updates

The Child and Family Health Academy (CHIFA) recently lauched a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): “Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes”.

Follow this link for more information.

You are cordially invited to navigate the world of infant nutrition during the first six months of life. Highly qualified specialists in the field will show you the latest research results and international recommendations through three study units. These will encompass the unique components and health benefits of human milk, the relevant practical aspects of breastfeeding and, finally, how best to provide adequate substitutes for breastmilk when these may be provided. 

On 17 January 2023, the Coalition for Vaccination co-chairs (the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), and the European Federation of Nurses Association (EFN) organised its first Coalition for Vaccination Conference. Around 100 healthcare professionals and policy-makers gathered at the International Auditorium in Brussels to reflect on past years’ achievements and plan for the future.

EAP Representatives Stefano del Torso (Italy) & Hans Juergen Dornbusch (Austria) participated . 

Read the full EAP report  here.

More information on the Conference can be read on the Coalition for Vaccination blog here.

The European Academy of Paediatrics / UEMS Section of Paediatrics represents European region paediatricians who are among the most trusted Health Professionals for children’s care. We are all aware that vaccination hesitancy/confidence can influence Early Child Development in a vicious circle not allowing children to develop to their full
potential.

A kick-off webinar by Health Systems for Early Child Development in Europe and Central Asia took place on 6 December 2022. The website, offering a one-stop-shop for curated contemporary, evidence-based guidance, resources, and expertise on developmentally oriented health systems in Europe and Central Asia, was lanched on the same day.

EAP Representatives Stefano del Torso (Italy), Mateja Vintar Spreitzer (Slovenia), Lars Gelander (Sweden), Maria Brenner (Ireland) participated. Please read the Read EAP report  here.

More information on the webinar and the recording can be accessed here.

We are proud to announce that the latest publication “Promoting breastfeeding and interaction of paediatric associations with
commercial providers of nutritional products – are they compatible?” is now available online at https://www.karger.com/ANM.

Details can be found here:

Ann Nutr Metab , DOI: 10.1159/000529217
Received: December 21, 2022
Accepted: January 16, 2023
Published online: January 23, 2023

Or read it now here.

The EAP thanks and congratulates Berthold Koletzko, Maria Fewtrell & Adamos Hadjipanayis for their contribution and dedication in producing this paper.

 On 6 Sept. 2002, Dr. Peter Liese, Member of the European Parliament, and the EAP co-organised a stakeholder workshop in the European Parliament in Brussels addressing the hot topic “Breastfeeding promotion and a public-private partnership for infant nutrition – are they compatible?” Featuring speakers from EAP, WHO Regional Office for Europe, a Parent Organisation and a Dietetic Industry Association, the session sought to understand how breastfeeding is be promoted while simultaneously ensuring that mothers who do not provide breastfeeding receive evidence based and current information on substitute options. The panelists concluded that close collaboration and a relationship of mutual trust between paediatricians and other healthcare professionals, families, and the public sector is needed to achieve progress. The EAP will follow up on these conclusions in the near future.

The EAP thanks all the leaders of the Strategic Advisory Groups, National Delegates, Individual members, and collaborating societies for being a part of its accomplishments.

You can now read more about the EAP’s activities between February and April 2022 in the Newsletter of the International Paediatric Association (IPA). 

Read the excerpt here or visit https://ipa-world.org/ for the full newsletter.

EAP is delighted to announce the launch of the ‘One Less Thing’ campaign with UNICEF, promoting routine vaccination for children in Europe.

Routine vaccination rates have decreased in recent years in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Covid vaccine roll out. This means there is an increasing need and opportunity to refocus on life-saving childhood vaccines, in order to ensure that no child is left behind. The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) has partnered with UNICEF ECARO to create a social media campaign to strengthen confidence in childhood vaccines and demand for routine immunization. The aim is to encourage caregivers in Europe and the Central Asian region to get young children vaccinated.

You can follow the campaign on our social media channels: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For more information about routine vaccination, please contact your paediatrician or read more on EAP’s website.

Dear Colleague,

We are all horrified at the events unfolding in Ukraine. The European Academy of Paediatrics has already made a statement about protecting children during the war in Ukraine. Now, we are considering how best we can further, and most effectively, support the health and welfare of those children.

The Ukrainian Paediatric health system faces a huge burden, taking care of casualties of war whilst continuing to care for those children with complex chronic disease, including cancer, chronic respiratory problems, epilepsy, and many other conditions. Some of those children remain in Ukraine, but potentially without access to medical help and supplies, whilst others are refugees crossing into Europe.

The EAP wants to coordinate the help for these children, who are already being offered a range of support by many different countries. We would like to collate a list of hospitals in Europe that would be able to take Ukrainian paediatric patients with complicated, rare, or chronic diseases and treat them according to their needs.

We believe that National Bodies are in the best position to determine what can be done internally, but that the EAP can assist in collating what resources are available and how they can be accessed. Additional information (rules on Visa requirements, COVID regulations, availability of translators for example) may also be very valuable.

Being aware that each country has different approach to admitting paediatric patients from Ukraine, we offer you two ways of which you can choose for medical institutions in your country to be approached:

• via a national coordinator to whom we can direct a patient interested in coming to that country (which would then connect that patient to appropriate medical institutions in represented country). In that case we would kindly ask you to send us contact info of person you would decide on to be your national coordinator via the following questionnaire.
• direct approach to open and interested medical institutions (e.g., children’s hospitals, paediatric departments). Due to the complexity of diseases that patients have, it would be best if primarily tertiary level institutions would apply. In that case we would ask you to forward the following link with questionnaire in which they can fill in their contact information and treatment capacities information according to their treatment capacities (link: https://forms.office.com/r/Gc8A8WZLbp)  .

In both cases contact data will be available only through closed access system to whom access would be granted to project team members, EAP EC and participating Ukrainian doctors. It would not be publicly available. Interested parties would contact national coordinator or available contact person in institution directly or via EAP project team.

Therefore, we kindly ask you or to complete questionnaire about national coordinator or forward the Link 2 to questionnaire to medical institutions in your country interested in admitting Ukrainian paediatric patients with complex chronic diseases.

We are in touch with the Ukrainian Paediatric Societies and using them to help us direct care to the most appropriate providers.

We suspect that there are other areas where you can offer expertise – for example EuSEMs series of short webinars (prepared for Myanmar) setting out a number of obstetric, paediatric and trauma related scenarios, helping inexperienced staff undertake emergency procedures and care. Please, feel free to share such information with us, so we can share it with Ukrainian colleagues.

Due to the urgency of the situation, we would kindly ask you to provide us with answers no later than Tuesday 17th of April 2022. Still, all answers sent even after April 17^th will be incorporated in this database.

We are aware that this will take a lot of time and effort from you, especially for bigger countries, but are also aware of the situation in Ukraine and need of those children. This is the moment when EAP must join forces and use our full capacities to help Ukrainian children.

For all your questions please feel free to contact Ivan Bambir (ivan_bambir@hotmail.com), Loraine Lugasi (llugasi@paragong.com) or Yannis Trimithiotis (yiannis@projectsquared.com.cy).

Yours sincerely,

Brussels, March 10, 2022

Two weeks have passed since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Despite 141 countries voting in the UN General Assembly for the Russian army to stop fighting and withdraw from another sovereign country, Ukraine, the fighting is increasingly bloody and brutal. The war has led to 2.5 million people including about 1 million children fleeing from their homes and becoming refugees. There are 79 children confirmed killed including 18 months old infant in Mariupol. Most of child fatalities result from attacks from the air or with rockets.

We stand together with Ukrainian children, families and the heroic medical and nursing staff calling for the action now:

– we ask the governments of our countries to do more to ensure the safety of children in
Ukraine, to stop the war and first of all to stop rockets and bombs attacks on civil
infrastructure of Ukraine;
– we ask Russian paediatricians and especially leaders of paediatric organizations in Russia to
express clear and loud position against the war in Ukraine and to do everything in their power
to stop the war;
– we confirm once again solidarity and professional support for children’s doctors and nurses in
Ukraine.

Our voices are stronger than rockets and bombs! Slava Ukraine!

See full document with participants here

Volunteer children help other children from refugee families in Chernovtsi, Ukraine

In 2020-21, the influenza activity in Europe remained at a low level throughout the flu season, due to
various public health and social measures implemented to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
However, it is expected that the seasonal influenza virus will circulate much more in the forthcoming
winter, as social mixing and social contact now return in many European countries. In addition,
because of the low incidence of flu last year, a lower level of natural population immunity against
influenza is expected for the 2021-22 season, which could increase transmission and the burden of
disease in people.

Read more…

In the summer of 2021, the EU co-funded IMMUNION project (“Improving IMMunisation cooperation in the European UNION”) conducted a pan-European survey among healthcare professionals. The survey revealed that whilst most nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals feel confident to respond to their patients’ questions about vaccinations, this is not always the case for all professionals. 

For the full article visit: https://coalitionforvaccination.com/news/11/results-of-health-professionals-survey-are-out

Click here to read the full PDF report. 

Brussels, 23^rd August 2021

As children and adolescents around Europe prepare to return to school after the summer break, the European Academy of Paediatrics calls for their vaccination against COVID-19 in order to achieve herd immunity and stop the pandemic. Preliminary studies carried out have shown that the vaccination of children and adolescents is highly effective and safe.

In a joint statement published today in Frontiers, the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and the European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians (ECPCP) stress the numerous health benefits provided by the vaccination of children and adolescents against COVID-19, including the return to regular paediatric care and routine vaccinations against other infectious diseases, which were severely disrupted during the pandemic.

Vaccinating children and adolescents will also drive their regular school learning and peer interaction, which is vital to reverse the educational, developmental and psychological problems caused by the lockdown of over 1.5 billion young people worldwide.

The joint statement also presents recommendations to foster immunity and address vaccination in children and adolescents. Among others, EAP recommends that the vaccination of children and adolescents against COVID-19 should be promoted and encouraged worldwide, and paediatric associations should develop national strategies of vaccination into existing vaccination schedules.

Although COVID-19 infection in children is rarely severe, a newly described syndrome (pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome) has been observed shortly after infection. Preliminary evidence also shows that long-standing effects of COVID-19 may be seen up to 6 months after infection (including fatigue, muscle and joint pain, insomnia, respiratory problems, and palpitations).

Read the joint statement of the EAP and the ECPCP here

More information on the EAP “Vaccinate your child” campaign here

The European Academy of Paediatrics continued its mission to promote the health of children and young people in Europe and beyond during the EAP Spring Hybrid Meeting 2021 that took place on Friday, 2 and Saturday, 3 July 2021 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Larnaca, Cyprus & virtually.

Read all about it here

A new European research initiative has launched to improve equitable vaccine uptake in underserved communities. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Research Programme, RIVER-EU (“Reducing Inequalities in Vaccine uptake in the European Region – Engaging Underserved communities”) is a 5-year (2021-2026) project coordinated by the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). RIVER-EU will collect evidence on health system determinants of high and low vaccine uptake in eight specific contexts, which will be used to identify and/or develop interventions to reduce barriers to vaccine uptake in underserved communities and increase trust in the health system.

Read all about it here

We congratulate the EAP’s President, Adamos Hadjipanayis, on his recent election as one of the Regional Presidents of the International Paediatric Association (IPA) representing Europe for the term 2021-2023. We are thankful for his leadership in our association, and we know that the same dedication and ability that he demonstrates daily at the EAP will make him excel in the new position at IPA as well.

VACCELERATE is a new Horizon 2020 program aiming to accelerate phase 2 & 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Paediatric population will be included.

All pediatric sites, including university, non-academic, tertiary care and community hospitals, with or without prior experience in carrying out vaccine trials or clinical trials, which are interested in taking part in future COVID-19 vaccine trials, are encouraged to register to the EUVAP platform by filling out a short (18-20 minutes) capability questionnaire online: https://www.euvap.eu/

Read more here….

Do not miss this opportunity.

In 2021, world attention is on the roll out of an effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine. Yet, many Europeans remain hesitant about the vaccination, AND about vaccinating their children against other infectious diseases. Without a significant take up of vaccination (which slowed down during the pandemic), we know that children will continue to die from a preventable disease.

We have a responsibility to act.  That is why the EAP is launching its own campaign to foster vaccine confidence:

Read more…

Dear Colleagues,

In 2020 we have all experienced the persistent suffering and grief, and everyone’s lives were marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased inequality in society. It has magnified the social and economic disparities, and made the lives of vulnerable children (refugees, low income etc.) much worse.

Despite the national and European restrictions on travelling and the measures of social distancing, we have never stopped working to develop a better world for our children.

The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) has become with your support, following also the unanimous approval of the new Statute, a Pan-European Umbrella Organization, recognized internationally. It is the major advocator in Europe for all children and their well-being.

At the same time EAP works to protect and develop the profession of paediatrics in every European country irrespective of the national health system. The success of the first ever EBP pan-European paediatric exam means we are helping trainees demonstrate their expertise and facilitating uniform standards of training between countries. 

I am confident that we all agree that we should work together in unity and solidarity. Thus, I wish you all a time of cohesiveness, solidarity and joined work to develop a better future for our children, adolescents, and our profession.

With great appreciation,

Prof. Adamos Hadjipanayis

European Academy of Paediatrics

President

The joint position statement of seven European Paediatric Associations led by EAP on “Promoting breastfeeding and interaction of paediatric associations with providers of nutritional products” has been published. 

You can retrieve the publication here.

In this position statement the European Paediatric Association disagree with the WHO and some activist groups who strongly demand paediatric associations should not interact with commercial providers of dietetic products for infants and young children and should not accept any sponsorship from these for congresses and other events, and thus treat these differently than other commercial actors such as providers of drugs, vaccines, medical devices etc.

To our knowledge, this is the first time ever that seven European Paediatric Associations published a joint position paper.

EAP meets European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides

On 10 September 2020, Executive Committee members of the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) met with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides.

The virtual meeting with Commissioner Kyriakides touched upon important child health issues and challenge, such as increasing vaccine confidence and the need for European-wide child and adolescent health data as part of the EU’s flagship yearly Health Maps. Likewise, EAP will provide feedback, from a child health perspective, on both DG SANTE’s upcoming Pharmaceutical Strategy and Evaluation of the Paediatric Regulation.

EAP also shared with Commissioner Kyriakides and her Cabinet members the EAP ‘Protection, Play, Education’ (PPE) recommendations , which include actions to be taken by the EU and member states governments to counter the effects of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of Europe’s children and put their interests higher in the political agenda.

Although initially published in July, the PPE recommendations remain just as pertinent in the COVID-19 recovery context, especially as children and adolescents prepare their return to school in many European countries. The pandemic has caused a decreased in vaccination rates amongst children, and increased physical abuse, self-harm, and obesity cases. In short, the inequality gap has widened, and cognitive and social development has been affected. In order to mitigate these potentially devastating effects and ensure the best possible future for our most precious asset, governments and institutions must act; and the EAP stands ready to support them and work with them.

EAP would like to thank Commissioner Kyriakides and her Cabinet once again for their time and support, and is looking forward to continuing this fruitful cooperation.

You can check EAP’s full COVID-19 Resource Centre on the EAP website here.

Brussels, 23^rd August 2021

As children and adolescents around Europe prepare to return to school after the summer break, the European Academy of Paediatrics calls for their vaccination against COVID-19 in order to achieve herd immunity and stop the pandemic. Preliminary studies carried out have shown that the vaccination of children and adolescents is highly effective and safe.

In a joint statement published today in Frontiers, the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and the European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians (ECPCP) stress the numerous health benefits provided by the vaccination of children and adolescents against COVID-19, including the return to regular paediatric care and routine vaccinations against other infectious diseases, which were severely disrupted during the pandemic.

Vaccinating children and adolescents will also drive their regular school learning and peer interaction, which is vital to reverse the educational, developmental and psychological problems caused by the lockdown of over 1.5 billion young people worldwide.

The joint statement also presents recommendations to foster immunity and address vaccination in children and adolescents. Among others, EAP recommends that the vaccination of children and adolescents against COVID-19 should be promoted and encouraged worldwide, and paediatric associations should develop national strategies of vaccination into existing vaccination schedules.

Although COVID-19 infection in children is rarely severe, a newly described syndrome (pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome) has been observed shortly after infection. Preliminary evidence also shows that long-standing effects of COVID-19 may be seen up to 6 months after infection (including fatigue, muscle and joint pain, insomnia, respiratory problems, and palpitations).

Read the joint statement of the EAP and the ECPCP here:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.721257/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Pediatrics&id=721257

More information on the EAP “Vaccinate your child” campaign here:

https://www.eapaediatrics.eu/eap4vaccinations-vaccinate-your-child/

Read all about it here

EAP-joins-a-proposal-of-public-hearing-and-own-initiative-report-on-medicines-shortages-in-the-EU

EAP has concluded a very successful MasterCourse and Congress in Porto, Portugal.

The MasterCourse with the main topic on Nutrition gathered over 550 participants and started with interactive case studies, plenary lectures from well renowned speakers and finished with an online exams.

The Congress brought together over 1500 participants from over 82 countries. The EAP has welcomed not only European countries but also all other continents. The scientific program was stimulating and included top of the range presentations. We received over 752 submitted abstracts and 68 were presented as oral presentations and 450 as poster presentations.

Click here to read the abstracts of the invited lectures’ presentations.

On the 2^nd of September, Young EAP delegates and the EAP Secretary-General, Ann De Guchtenaere, together with representatives from SIOPE, EJD and ESPNIC, met EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis in Brussels. Commissioner Andriukaitis was the speaker at Young EAP’s Inspiration Session webinar and discussed his views on challenges and opportunities for child health and paediatricians in Europe, as well as his career highlights.

You can find more information about this webinar and meeting on the “Young EAP Blog” section of this newsletter.

By Dr. Ana Neves (EAP Vice-President) and Dr. Stefano del Torso (EAP Executive Director)

In Portugal vaccination confidence and vaccination rates are very high due to a long-standing political investment and a global social involvement. Medical doctors, nurses and pharmacists work together not to miss an opportunity to catch up with vaccination.

Pharmacies have been involved in flu vaccination for 11 years: 78 % of private pharmacies have agreed to collaborate to this activity and it is estimated that pharmacies have provided about 1/3 of the influenza vaccination coverage.

A brief presentation of this experience can be found HERE.

The latest UEMS council meeting took place in Brussels on April 12-13. Whilst hardly a riveting meeting, paediatrics were well represented there in a number of areas. Two further training programs (ETRs) were up for UEMS approval – Gastroenterology and Emergency Medicine – to add to the three that were agreed last year. With several more in the pipeline (such as neonatology, respiratory and renal) we will soon be over half way to having all our syllabi complete and up to date. We have already had some good feedback on the ETRs and we look forward to getting them finalised.

There is also the first meeting of the Multidisciplinary Joint Committee (MJC) in adolescent medicine. The response from other groups has been astonishing – over 30 people have expressed their interest, which is very exciting. Pierre-Andre Michaud has drafted outline objectives, and Karoly Illy, Artur Mazur and Helena Fonseca will help ensure that paediatrics has a very strong voice in the group. Other MJC activity includes the immune mediated diseases group where Tadel Avcin is joining as a paediatrician, and the infectious diseases MJC where Theoklis Zaoutis is joining. EAP is very happy to have more widespread representation on these groups.

Lastly we are expecting to finalise the protocol for centre visitation at the Spring Meeting in May. Details will follow in the next newsletter!

EAP took part in the first Vaccination Coalition meeting, organised and chaired by DG SANTE. Bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from industry, civil society and academia, the meeting sought to find common ground on actions to increase vaccination rates and vaccine confidence across Europe.

Among the meeting’s activities, DG SANTE circulated a “EU Coalition for Vaccination” Declaration, which participant organisations could sign, debate and propose amendments.

For more information on this meeting, please contact EAP Executive Director, Dr Stefano Del Torso (deltorso@gmail.com).

Following the concerning rise of measles cases in Ukraine (50.000 cases in 2018, including 16 deaths), EAP wrote to the Ukrainian Minister of Health urging for greater vaccination actions in the country.

Encouraging “Ukrainian Public Health Officials and physicians to take every possible measure to increase measles vaccination rates by following the WHO recommendation to use every opportunity for vaccination”, EAP also offered to develop and/or participate in campaigns for children, their parents and paediatricians.

The full letter can be read HERE.

The EAP is deeply saddened to announce the death of Jose Ramet.

Jose joined EAP (then CESP) in 1993 and was voted President the same year. Based in Brussels he was hugely influential in integrating the various groups of paediatricians responsible for primary, secondary and tertiary care. He developed links with specialist groups, bringing them in to work together under the single organization, and was critical in developing the integrated and harmonious paediatric group we are now lucky to enjoy.

In 1999, he gave up his post to become secretary-general. He contributed to the further development of relations with the American Academy of Pediatrics and was in charge of promoting the AAP Prep Programme in Europe. Over the last few years he has been troubled by significant ill health, but has continued to provide support and encouragement to the society.

Jose was a respectful gentleman that was able to combine knowledge, elegance and spirit in a unique attitude.
EAP gala dinners were cheered by the sagacious and brilliant speeches which he gave to entertain the EAP members while presenting also the visions and the achievements of EAP mission.

We will greatly miss his calm, supportive presence, his enthusiasm and his wise advice. He has been a huge presence in EAP, despite his illness over the last few years, and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this very sad time.

The bi-annual European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS) Congress was held in Paris in the beginning of November this year. Co-organised by EAP, ESPNIC and ESPR as the three major stockholders – but with many other European societies involved in its organization -, this major education and research platform gathered representatives over 3500 participants from all over the world.

The congress was held in the Palais de Congress de Paris and was well-organised, hosting almost 3500 participants from all over the world.

The topics discussed during the EAPS Congress represented the variety of the paediatrics field, from primary to tertiary care paediatrics, from the clinics to basic research. The event days were split into plenary sessions and parallel sessions, which also gave young participants the possibility to present their research work.

EAP looks forward to, and welcomes you to join us in, the next EAPS Congress, which will take place in Barcelona in 2020.

For a report on the POCUS session at the EAPS congress, please click here.

EAP’s Executive Director, Dr. Stefano del Torso, represented the Academy at the Models of Child Health Appraised (MOCHA) consultation stakeholder meeting, held at the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen on late November.

The consultation meeting sought to connect immunisation programs to home-based records, patient summaries, and EU vaccination cards along the child’s life trajectory from womb to adolescence.  The event also aimed to identify actors, resources and projects to carry child immunisation forward through common policy, standards and implementation actions.

Dear all,

After spending seven years in the EAP Executive Committee – two as Vice-President and five as President – it is time to say thank you. It has been a pleasure and a great honour to serve the EAP and to have been trusted by all of you to serve as the EAP President.

It has been a challenge, and without the close collaboration, input, and work from the whole EC board, the task would have been impossible. I believe in a horizontal leadership style and strong participation of all the EC members to reach good results, and I think we have succeeded. During these five years as president, I have been part of a growing and thriving EAP. I will also take this opportunity to thank all EAP delegates and members for their constructive feedback and encouragement. Thanks to this, we have engaged in many new activities and improved existing ones.

I am confident that under the leadership of the new President, Professor Adamos Hadjipanayis, the EAP will continue to thrive, and have a strong impact in Europe in the near future, wherever children´s health and the professional life of paediatricians are concerned.

Tom Stiris, EAP

Prof. Adamos Hadjipanayis was elected President of the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) at the EAP Winter meeting, which took place in Brussels on early December.

Formerly EAP’s Secretary-General, Prof. Hadjipanayis takes over from Prof. Tom Stiris and seeks for EAP to unify all paediatric voices in Europe; promote children’s health; and advocate for the profession of paediatrics by work with all interested stakeholders globally.

Prof. Hadjipanayis mission statement speech, presented during the EAP Winter meeting, can be read in full  here.

The European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS) 2018 Congress, jointly organised by EAP, ESPNIC and ESPR, has been accredited with 34 CME credits which delegates can earn for their professional accreditation.

Interested parties can save up to €100 in registration fees if signing up for the EAPS 2017 Congress before 17 October, 2018.

Moreover, participants can benefit from pre-Congress courses if starting their stay in Paris one day before the main event; and can still acquire a ticket to the EAPS Congress’s Networking event at In Carne.

More information is available on the EAPS 2018 Congress website.

In early September, EAP took to social media to voice the need to better support children and young people affected by Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). EAP representatives shared their messages on the need for concerted and multisectoral actions to tackle NCDs and their risk factors.

In addition to the social media campaign, Young EAP Members and EAP’s Executive Director Stefano Del Torso penned a special article on EPHA’s website, in which they analysed the main NCDs causes and urged the EU to tackle the burden of NCDs from an early age.

This initiative was carried out in support of the Global Week for Action on NCDs, a worldwide event spearheaded by the NCD Alliance and featuring health actors such as EPHA, ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs.

EAP’s social media campaign visuals can be checked here.

The Horizon 2020 “MOCHA – Models of Child Health Appraised” research project will have its final conference on 15-16 November 2018, in The Hague, Netherlands. The event will present MOCHA’s headline results, formal reports, and pave the way for stakeholder discussion on the next steps following the project’s conclusion.

With a total duration of three years, MOCHA has identified and critically assessed all aspects of primary health care provision for children of all ages in all the 30 EU/EEA countries. EAP has collaborated in MOCHA as member of the External Advisory Board. Morever, several EAP National Delegates have collaborated either as Work Package leader, MOCHA Country Agents, or by helping their Country Agent.

You can find all the Deliverables completed so far and registration information at website  http://www.childhealthservicemodels.eu/

To celebrate Universal Children’s Day on November 20th, the date that marks the signing of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, Dr. Robert Ross Russell, EAP representative and Chairman of the European Board of Paediatrics (EBP), is organising a series of events in Cambridge to reflect both the talents and abilities of children. Likewise, the event will also the emphasise the importance of global child health, both for children and for the health of the adults they become.

Under the strapline “Healthy Child, Healthy World – Their Future, Our Responsibility”, there will be a series of activities involving children coupled with information on some of the major issues affecting child health in the UK and across Europe. EAP will support this initiative, and its logo will be featured in all communications and visual items.

Supported by internationally recognised names such as Waheed Arian (Arian Teleheal, winner of 2018 Rotary Peace Prize), Rachel Furley MBE (Bridges to Belarus) and Doug Harper (Development Media International) there are a number of themes, including international child health, research for children, child safety and the childhood origins of adult disease, “Healthy Child, Healthy World” hopes to raise the profile of paediatric health care and involve people in local and international issues.

If you wish to be involved in “Healthy Child, Healthy World” activities (whether in your own country or in the UK), please contact Dr. Robert Ross Russell.

EAP is preparing its contribution to the “Choosing Wisely” campaign, a growing action targeted at physicians and the general public to reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment instances. The campaign started 2012 in the United States (registered by the ABIM Foundation), and currently comprises several countries and multiple medical specialities. Some countries have renamed the campaign, such as Switzerland (“Smarter Medicine”), Australia and New Zealand (“EVOLVE”), or the Netherlands (“Awareness Project).

Studies have shown an estimated overuse of medical expenditure up to 30%, a value which is similar in all highly developed countries. To our knowledge, few European countries have a paediatric-specific “Choosing Wisely” list. Children and young people, as a vulnerable patient group, deserve a thorough evaluation of tests and treatments in order to avoid unnecessary or harmful procedures. It is the role of the physician to guide and advise patients and their parents on the most effective and least harmful care option. This can only be done by promoting meaningful and informed conversations between physicians and patients and their parents, so that paediatricians can rebut the idea that “more care is better care”.

These lists are neither quality indicators, nor intended to cut expenditures in healthcare. Unfortunately, it is still challenging to measure outcomes in all existing lists. This is mainly due to the fact that there is no baseline for waste; and that it’s hard to measure complications and inappropriate use of tests.

EAP’s goal is to form a paediatric-specific “Choosing Wisely” list, which can then be adapted to each country’s needs. Moreover, we do not want this to be a solely physician-driven campaign: other paediatric healthcare workers, as well as also patients their families, should be included. Since many European countries rely on General Practitioners (GPS) for child healthcare, their needs and concerns must also be taken into account.

 As a first step, EAP would like to conduct a short survey with our member societies to gather all information about ongoing or finalised “Choosing Wisely” programmes, or similar paediatric campaigns, in Europe. If you would like to participate actively in this important and interesting topic, please contact Corinne Wyder, EAP Swiss Delegate (wyder@kurwerk.ch).

More information about paediatric-centred “Chosing Wisely” campaign can be found at Choosing Wisely Canada and on the website of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Keep checking the EAP Newsletter for further updates!

EAP and Young EAP were key contributors to WHO’s Nurturing Care Framework, which was launched at the 71^st World Health Assembly and can be accessed here. Key issues of EAP’s contribution to the Nurturing Care Framework include:

• The need for a multisectoral approach on Nurturing Care;
• The need for adequate, long-term outcome monitoring tools at European level;
• The health and wellbeing benefits from nurturing care received from parents, family and communities.

The Nurturing Care Framework was developed by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, the Early Childhood Development Action Network and many other partners.

The “Nurturing care for early childhood development: a framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential” provides an evidence-based roadmap for action and stresses the importance of national investments in early childhood development. The framework also tries to highlight ways in which policies and services can help parents, families, and communities in providing nurturing care for young children.

EAP’s contribution can be read in full here.

To celebrate the European Immunization Week (23-28 April), a health initiative on the importance of vaccine confidence and increased immunisation rates by the WHO and the ECDC, EAP carried out a social media campaign in support of vaccination.

Statements from EAP representatives on increasing vaccine confidence, posted on Twitter throughout the EIW week, created high public interest and were widely shared by profiles of personalities like the EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis. All statements can be accessed and shared here. EAP’s Secretary General, Dr. Adamos Hadjipanayis, also took part in the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s #VaccinesWork video.

Furthermore, EAP/Young EAP’s March blog article focussed on the the unmet WHO goal of measles eradication in Europe (with a fourfold rise of measles cases from 2016 to 2017) as well as a review of the last influenza season with all circulating virus strains well covered by the 4-valent vaccine, however, with persistently low vaccination rates.

The Spring Meeting of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) was held in April in Marrakech. EAP had a number of presentations at the meeting, including the recently approved training requirements in Paediatric Allergy, Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Paediatric rheumatology, all of which were formally approved by the General Assembly. We can now add a formal UEMS logo to the certificates!

We also proposed (successfully) that a multidisciplinary joint committee (MJC) be established on adolescent medicine. This is a really important initiative and we will now be chairing a committee to determine the training requirements for this area.

EAP Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the European Board of Paediatrics (EBP), Dr. Robert Ross Russell, is planning the upcoming “Healthy Child, Healthy World” event, a week of celebration of child achievements in Cambridge that will be run in October this year. The format is to hold daily events (flashmob, music, exercise class) alongside information around issues of international importance (malnutrition/obesity, child refugees, child exploitation, …).

“Healthy Child, Healthy World” is supported by, and will feature in its activities, renowned medical personalities such as Dr. Waheed Arian and Dr. Rachel Furley, in what is it bound be a remarkable and widely covered event. You can keep up with all the latest developments by following @HealthyChildHW on Twitter.

In order to make “Healthy Child, Healthy World” a truly European event, any EAP supports who are interested in running a similar event in their own country/region over the same week should contact Dr. Robert Ross Russell.

The European Board of Paediatrics (EBP) is busy taking forward the plans for the paediatric exam. We have shortlisted two companies who will be presenting to the EC in Sofia, and expect to decide shortly after that which one will be running our exam for the next 3 years. EBP Chairman, Dr. Robert Ross Russell, is delighted to have been joined by Dr. Liviana da Dalt and Dr. Yvan Vanderplas, to work alongside Dr. Martin White and Dr. Tommaso Alterio.

Given the large amount of questions required for this exam, the EBP encourages any keen multiple choice question (MCQ) writers to get in touch and discuss ideas for collaboration.

The European Society for Paediatic Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN), a long-standing and active EAP member association, celebrated 50 successful years since its creation. ESPGHAN started in 1968 as a group of 36 friends, who held an informal meeting with some 20 oral presentations to share their work in the clinic and in the laboratory. It has grown over the years into what is now an extremely strong, highly professional and globally impactful organisation dedicated to research and clinical care related to gut, liver and nutritional health of infants, children and adolescents.

This year’s annual congress was held in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, and celebrated the occasion with over 4600 delegates from 100 countries around the world. ESPGHAN’s history, recent developments and future opportunities have been summarised in a special supplement of the society’s journal, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

The International Society for Social Paediatrics and Child Health (ISSOP) is accepting abstract submissions for its annual conference, which will take place in Bonn on 27-29 September 2018.

This year’s conference theme is Early Childhood Intervention: Science, Systems and Policies Promoting Healthy Development of Vulnerable Children. Following the discussions in Bonn, ISSOP plans to publish a Declaration laying out a strategic response on how to improve the development for vulnerable children.

Interested parties must send their abstracts before 10 June 2018.

(BY DR. PETER ALTORJAY HUNGARY, EAP NATIONAL DELEGATE; AND DR. PAUL TORPIANO, MALTA’S YOUNG EAP MEMBER)

After having ISSOP’s 2017 Budapest meeting’s position statement on migrant child health – widely known as the Budapest Declaration – endorsed by many paediatric societies, the European Academy of Paediatrics was invited this March to participate in the ad-hoc working group. Established within ISSOP, this group aims to turn recommendations of the Declaration into real actions over the coming years.

The detailed Action Plan of the working group, built upon the key elements of the Declaration, identifies as its main objectives:

• creating new clinical programs;
• developing new care systems and policies;
• urging healthcare providers to use evidence-based scientific support for program development;
• implementation and evaluation

These objectives are all required to fulfil purposes of the source document.

Led by Professor Charles Oberg from the University of Minnesota, members of the group presenting diverse affiliation and professional interests recently decided to form subgroups in the following areas: clinical care, health systems, policy development and best practices. This was done following the Action Plan’s Timeline as the next process objective.

Following its open letter to the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council of the EU and to the EU Commissioner for Health, Vytenis Andriukaitis, EAP has received a reply from Commissioner Andriukaitis’s cabinet.

In the document, EU Commissioner Andriukaitis’s Head of Cabinet, Mr. Arūnas Vinčiūnas, thanked EAP for sharing its concerns on the need to tackle tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the lack of vaccine confidence, as well as the impact of the EU Paediatrics Regulation and the areas it still needs to address. Likewise, it pointed out future EU actions and initiatives devised to address the aforementioned issues, among which:

• A joint evaluation of the Paediatric and Orphan Medicines legislation, which will take place in 2019;
• Workshops with relevant stakeholders on short-term concrete actions to improve the development of new paediatric medicines, co-organised by the EC and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2018;
• A EU Joint Action on vaccination, which will kick off in 2018 with the objective of promoting vaccination confidence, while taking into account synergies between vaccination and the use of antibiotics.

The Cabinet of EU Commissioner Andriukaitis also thanked EAP for offering to share its knowledge and on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in order to “support training on AMR and AMS”.

Following the arrest of leaders of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB, in the original acronym), EAP released a statement supporting TTB’s position that “war is a public health problem”. Likewise, the statement joined the requests of the international community to release TTB’s leaders, and to ensure the prevalence of human rights in Turkey, including the “right to health, freedom of association and expression”.

Read the full statement here.

The European Board of Paediatrics (EBP) is delighted to be making progress on several fronts towards its full establishment and regular operations. Firstly, Robert Ross Russell (UK) (as the newly elected chair) is joined by Martin White (Ireland), who is the new Officer for Assessment and Examination and brings great experience to the role, having been involved for many years in the Irish examinations. Tommaso Alterio (Italy) is the EBP’s first Young EAP representative, and will help promote the exam and take the new plans forward.

Regarding the knowledge-based exam, the EBP had two teleconference meetings with a company which may be able to support its efforts. Likewise, discussions are also continuing with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in the UK to explore the best way to develop a ‘European’ exam.

Furthermore, the EBP has proposed that the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes (UEMS) – of which EAP is the paediatric section – set up a joint committee (a formal structure similar to the ‘Sections’) to consider adolescent medicine. Lastly, the EBP have established a group to look at training in intensive care medicine.

Any members interested in helping on the joint committee and/or the intensive care medicine training group should get in touch with EAP’s President Tom Stiris or Robert Ross Russell.

The 7^th Congress of the European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS) – co-organised by EAP –, which will take place in October-November 2018, has opened its call for abstracts period. Interested candidates must choose a topic or sub-topic among those listed on the EAPS website and submit their proposal until the 16^th of April.

Organised in collaboration with ESPNIC and ESPR, the 2018 EAPS Congress will engage the global paediatric community in knowledge-sharing activities, best practices exchanges, and the best scientific research programmes.

Interested parties can register for the event via the EAPS official website. Further information and submission guidelines on the call for abstracts can be found here.

Young EAP now has official representatives to support the European Board of Paediatrics (EBP) and EAP advocacy activities, especially in areas where the voice of trainees is needed. In addition, several Young EAP members have submitted their candidatures for Young EAP Core Group positions.

The elections will take place during the monthly Young EAP meeting on March 27, 2018.

Tommaso Alterio (Italy) is the Young EAP representative for the EBP. He will assist Professor Robert Ross Russell (EBP Chair) with the development of the European Exam and the revision of the European Core Curriculum. Tommaso will be supported by the Young EAP Task Force for the EBP. Tommaso is a member of the Osservatorio Nazionale Specializzandi Pediatria (ONSP) and currently works as a fellow in Paediatric Gastro-enterology (IBD) at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome. For Tommaso, Young EAP is an opportunity and an ongoing project where young doctors from all over Europe can find a place to work together for a better future in paediatric training and care. In his new role, he hopes to make this possible by shortening the distance between residents and Young EAP.

Sian Copley (United Kingdom) is the Young EAP representative for Advocacy. She will assist Professor Ana Neves (EAP Vice President) in advocacy activities. Sian will be assisted by Veronica Said Pullicino (Malta) and Andreas Trobisch (Austria). Sian is a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Trainees’ Committee and currently works as a third-year resident at the Health Education North East in the UK. In her new role, she looks forward to representing trainees’ views on issues related to child health across Europe, raise awareness of current issues and promote this within paediatric training, as well as to advocate for children’s rights to health.

Franck Zekre (France) and Ivan Bambir (Croatia) are candidates for the position of Vice Chair. Lenneke Schrier (The Netherlands) is the candidate for Chair.

Franck Zekre is the representative for International Affairs of the Association des Junior en Pediatrie (AJP). He is in his third semester at Saint Etienne’s in France. Being born in the Ivory Coast, he recognises the important opportunity of being trained in France, and he intends to use all he has learned for the benefit of others. He feels that Young EAP allows young paediatricians to exchange ideas in order to improve training. He is looking forward to bringing his energy to improve these exchanges of ideas between members.

Ivan Bambir is a member of the Resident Section of the Croatian Paediatric Society and a fifth-year resident at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb in Croatia. He firmly believes that the beginning of everything, including Young EAP, is a defining moment in the development of that. He believes his previous experience in setting up the Youth Leadership NGO can contribute to give Young EAP a stable long-term path.

Lenneke Schrier is the European Junior Doctor representative within the EAP and a fourth-year resident at the Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands. Since medical school, she has asked herself what kind of paediatricians children need, both now and in the future. She offers her previous experience within the EAP and other international settings, like the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations and the World Health Organisation, to articulate Young EAP’s strategic vision to others and translate these in actions in such a way that, in five years, it will be hard to imagine child health without Young EAP.

To reinforce perceptions of EAP as the voice of children’s health in Europe, we have been collaborating with LOWeurope, a Brussels-based consultancy specialising in strategic advice, marketing communications (such as PR and social media) and event management.

This successful collaboration, which began in 2017, has already contributed greatly to having more effective and authoritative EAP communications: for example, the “EAP News” newsletter, EAP’s social media channels, and several multimedia/visual documents on EAP priority topics.

Upcoming initiatives will include a re-organisation of the EAP website, as well as a focus on research & training opportunities in paediatrics-related areas.

LOWeurope’s Managing Director, Sally Low, said the company was ‘delighted to be working on such a worthwhile, fascinating and prestigious project with EAP’s dynamic team of experts’.

The EAP and EPA met in Moscow on the 9^th of November to discuss the future collaboration opportunities between the two societies. The meeting sought to explore the possibility to merge the two societies, leading to only one European Paediatric Society in Europe representing the paediatric population and the European paediatricians. Both societies felt a positive atmosphere during the meeting and expressed their wish to achieve this common goal, signing a document which assures a merger by 2023.

EAP is very happy with this result and looks forward to work with EPA in this process, which should include also all the other European Societies involved in Paediatrics.

Like previous years, the EAP Congress and MasterCourse 2017 was again a success! More than 700 paediatricians from 80 countries visited Ljubljana (Slovenia) to exchange ideas and information, and to meet colleagues from all over the world.

This year, the MasterCourse focussed on Paediatric Infections and included a diverse range of topics like the evaluation and treatment of infections in migrant children in Europe, discussion of recent guidelines of the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (like paediatric bone and joint infections) and presentation of European consensus guidelines for congenital CMV infection.

The EAP Congress provided the most up-to-date and state-of-the-art information on the latest developments in research and clinical practice in the fundamental areas of Paediatrics. In addition, interesting discussions emerged, for example on how paediatricians can improve vaccine uptake across Europe and tackle health inequalities. The editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Paediatrics, EAP’s official journal, was present during the meet-the-editor session.

The EAP is looking forward to meeting you again during next year’s EAPS Congress in Paris!

EAP has created its own detailed guidelines on the health risks and needs of refugee and migrant children entitled Providing primary care for migrant children in Europe. Seeking to provide optimal care for migrant and refugee children in need of paediatric treatment, the publication of the Guidelines (which contain 12 guidelines in all) was preceded by a comprehensive survey carried out by EAPRASnet (check our EAP Members News section for further information). The Guidelines shall be published in The Lancet in the beginning of 2018.

The publication of the Guidelines follows the release of ISSOP’s Budapest Declaration for Children on the Move, of which EAP is a signatory. Approved during ISSOP’s Annual Meeting (held on 28^th-30^th September in the Hungarian capital), the Budapest Declaration 2017 primarily focuses on children on the move and their health and well-being. The document states that ISSOP and its members will implement practical guidance issued by the UNHCR and the Global Migration Group (GMG) in 2017.

To read the Budapest Declaration for Children on the Move, please click here.

On the 15^th November 2017, and as a part of the World Antibiotics Awareness Week, EAP has released its statement on Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) in collaboration with the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID). Underlining the importance of AMS as a key component to tackle Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the statement urges all current and upcoming health professionals dealing with child health to ensure a rational prescription of antibiotics to children and young people.

The EAP-ESPID statement followed the entities’ co-authored scientific article “European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2017: training the next generation of health care professionals in antibiotic stewardship”, published in the European Journal of Paediatrics, which takes stock of the benefits of AMS programmes and the ways to make these more accessible, inclusive and comprehensive for all health professionals.

Keeping in line with the #KeepAntiobitcsWorking hashtag coined and promoted by the ECDC, EAP has also released awareness and promotion materials on AMS with EU policy-makers, health professionals and other relevant stakeholders as target audience.

To read the EAP-ESPID statement, please click here.

To access the EAP-ESPID “European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2017: training the next generation of health care professionals in antibiotic stewardship” article, please click here.

To download the EAP-ESPID factsheet on AMS, please click here.

To view the EAP infographic on AMS, please click here.

To acknowledge and celebrate the World Obesity Awareness Day, EAP took to Twitter to publish its brand new “Childhood Obesity: Facts and Figures” infographic, as well as an accompanying banner. Presenting the main causes and consequences of obesity and weight excess, as well as the key actions needed to tackle this health issue, the infographic was based on findings from EAP’s “Childhood obesity – A public health crisis across the European Union” article, which was previously published in Paediatriki.

To view the EAP childhood obesity infographic, please click here.

To read EAP’s “Childhood obesity – A public health crisis across the European Union” article, please click here.

EAP’s World Obesity Awareness Day banner can be viewed on the main page of EAP’s website.

The health of children is important for Europe’s future. Today’s children are citizens, future workers, future parents and future carers. Children depend on good health services, but these are structured differently throughout the European Union. In addition, there is little research into what works best. To help every child benefit from optimum health care, the MOCHA project will perform a systematic, scientific evaluation of the types of health care that exist.

Read the pdf file.

Dr. Dawid Szpecht from the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, won free registration to the upcoming EAP 2017 Congress.

POORER COGNITIVE AND GROSS MOTOR OUTCOME AT AGE 2.5 YEARS AFTER INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE TO SSRI. PROCEEDINGS FROM THE DUTCH SMOK TRIAL
C.N. Van der Veere