When is it a health emergency?

A public health emergency or public health emergency is when we are faced with a serious threat to the health of an entire geographic area. Some examples of public health emergencies in recent years have been those related to the Ebola outbreak in 2018 or the SARS epidemic in 2003.

How is a health emergency handled?

Today, Italy adheres to the management of Public Health emergencies defined by the European Union, which, for the management of public health emergencies, includes several steps:

1. Reporting Public Health risk through the EWRS rapid alert system, a closed IT system that allows for the prompt reporting of all cases that may pose a "serious cross-border risk" to Public Health.
2. Convocation of the ECDC (European Center for Disease Control) for risk assessment, for cases of communicable diseases or of unknown origin.
3. Coordination of the Emergency response of all EU member countries, by the HSC (Health Security Committee), to ensure that all necessary preventive measures are implemented by all member countries.
4. Effective communication of health risks and emergencies to citizens.

These four steps, are of paramount importance for Public Health and were put in place last time, just during the Ebola outbreak in 2018

What to do if the country we are in is the subject of a public health emergency?

If you are in a country undergoing a public health emergency, try to avoid highly populated areas or areas with large concentrations of people (markets, movie theaters, etc.) as much as possible, contact the embassy for more information on what to do and how to make your return.

Before going on a trip, it is recommended to contact a center specializing in Travel Medicine. There, professionals and experts will be able to explain all the risks associated with your trip and the best way to prevent them, such as behavioral strategies, advice on travel medications, and preventive vaccinations when possible.

A health emergency, or public health emergency, is when there is a serious threat to the health of an entire geographic area. Some examples of public health emergencies in recent years have been those related to the Ebola outbreak in 2018 or the SARS epidemic in 2003.