Health at a Glance: Europe 2012
This second edition of Health at a Glance: Europe presents a set of key indicators of health status, determinants of health, health care resources and activities, quality of care, health expenditure and financing in 35 European countries, including the 27 European Union member states, 5 candidate countries and 3 EFTA countries. The selection of indicators is based largely on the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist, a set of indicators that has been developed to guide the reporting of health statistics in the European Union. It is complemented by additional indicators on health expenditure and quality of care, building on the OECD expertise in these areas. Each indicator is presented in a user-friendly format, consisting of charts illustrating variations across countries and over time, a brief descriptive analysis highlighting the major findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability.
Incidence of selected communicable diseases
Communicable diseases such as chlamydia, pertussis and hepatitis B still pose major threats to the health of European citizens. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in Europe. Three-quarters of all cases are reported among young people aged 15-24 years, and numbers are steadily increasing. It can be controlled through prevention, reducing risk behaviour, early detection and effective management. Pertussis (or whooping cough) is highly infectious, and is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The disease derives its name from the sound made from the intake of air after a cough. Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. The virus is transmitted by contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person. A small proportion of infections become chronic, and these people are at high risk of death from cancer or cirrhosis of the liver. Protection against pertussis and hepatitis B is available through vaccination (see Childhood vaccination programmes).