Public health is the most important power factor of a nation, from which all other factors derive. Infectious diseases are the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in humans. Vaccination is the most important method of prophylaxis of infectious-contagious diseases. Mass implementation of vaccination prevents the occurrence of epidemics, epizootic diseases or homonymous pandemics, and at the individual level ensures the specific active immunity (total or partial). So the vaccination of the population and/or the risk groups is of strategic importance to the nation, both in peacetime and in time of war. The national antidote production along with anti-infectives (vaccines, therapeutic serums, immunomodulators, antimicrobial chemotherapies and pesticides) has a strategic importance for the health of the population and of the troops. Biological crisis situations are cases of force majeure, where the Medicines Law provides the exception for manufacturing and use, even without a "marketing authorization". The military scientific research could make micro-production of specific drugs (antidotes, antiinfectives) for the needs of the army and the risk groups of the population. An example would be the preparation of vaccines for the prophylaxis of diseases caused by BWA and bioterrorism as niche products. Nothing hinders the preparation of any medication, such as magistral and galenical preparations, or pilot batch, provided there is adequate space, equipment, staff and procedures according to the law or the exception.
Nowadays, a wide range of natural and man-made disasters, disease outbreaks and pandemics give rise to health emergencies at a global level. Thus, a health security strategy is urgently required through central planning. At the national level, that vision can be implemented with a properly organized and fully functional Emergency Health Operation Center (EHOC). The main executive sections of an EHOC are Command, Planning, Operations, Logistics, Administration, Communications/Intelligence, and Reporting/Briefing. Each of the above sections has several functions and sub-functions, all operating according to a concrete legal basis and detailed operating procedures.
The novel coronavirus, identified in December 2019, has caused a pandemic that will remain in the medical literature as SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the Covid-19 disease. It was initially stated that this disease would not be more serious than the flu, in terms of prevalence, frequency of complications and mortality. Although in the country of origin the epidemic was only local, the virus spread successively to other countries, until it quickly spread to all inhabited continents and was declared a pandemic. Being a new disease and a new virus, the world panicked. The World Health Organization released guidelines to member countries, which they have implemented. Because the disease sped out of control, it became not only a health crisis but also a socio-economic one. A year later, we are still facing this disease, about which we have learned a lot but not yet all that is necessary and so the time has come for a certain summing up. The Covid-19 pandemic is a reality of current times, the year 2020 being portrayed as the “COVID year”. The international scientific community has shown that, when needed, it can collaborate beyond classical barriers. Statistics show that the virus is not very aggressive, the disease is not very serious but there are also serious, sometimes fatal complications to which appropriate measures must be applied. The risk of serious illness and life-threatening complications is statistically reduced over time, the disease being less severe now than at the beginning, so it is on a downward slope.
The evolution of the planet's climate is multifactorial influenced and has a dynamic over time. Many scientists have approached this controversial field, and each relies on objective but divergent statistics. Geographers have established that planet Earth is in a period of slight slow cooling, not at the level of the four prehistoric ice ages, but only at the level of the Little Ice Age from the Middle Ages which probably caused the great migration of peoples from Asia to Europe. This slow cooling is only slowed down and may even be partially reversed by anthropogenic activities. The industry produces large amounts of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels and other greenhouse gases. Animals produce carbon dioxide through respiration and digestion, some also methane. The waste degradation, fires, volcanic eruptions, swamps, and thawing of permafrost release carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Climate change exit and has always existed, but there is no scientific evidence for global warming or for climate risks other than those we already know. Public health is already facing danger, directly and indirectly, for multiple reasons, to which „climate change” is added.
Preventive medicine plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficiency of healthcare systems, and laboratory investigations represent one of its main pillars. However, achieving an optimal balance between the benefits and costs of testing remains a challenge. Caught between public expectations, appropriate test utilization, and the need for adequate physician training in test ordering, enhancing patients’ understanding and knowledge becomes essential. To explore this aspect, a general online survey was conducted, completed by 321 respondents. The results show that, while respondents generally followed physicians' recommendations, many also sought laboratory testing on their own initiative. Direct access to laboratory services - facilitated by the widespread availability of private laboratories - has become a common practice. This raises concerns about the potential overuse of laboratory testing and underscores the importance of further investigating the factors driving patient self-empowerment. Enhancing shared decision-making between patients and physicians is essential to optimize the benefits of testing, minimize unnecessary costs, and reducing the risk of health-related anxiety.
Commentary
Major radiological threats and emergencies requiring public health preparedness (the example of Greece)
Athanasios Zafeirakis, Ioannis Galatas