During 7-11 September, EFA participated in the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2024, held in Vienna, Austria. Our strong delegation, including EFA Vice-President Armando Ruiz, EFA Board Member Christine Strous, EFA Director Susanna Palkonen and three staff members highlighted EFA’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with respiratory healthcare professionals and providers and to engage in any decision affecting lung health.
Strong presence of EFA community at the ERS Congress
A vibrant #EFACommunity was present at the ERS Congress, and patient organisations from all over Europe engaged with a united patient voice in the different meetings and activities of the Congress. EFA community of members participated in various sessions, gaining valuable insights into the latest research and advancements in the area of asthma and COPD, and highlighting the importance of keeping patients at the forefront of healthcare discussions.
The Österreichische Lungenunion, EFA members in Austria, kindly hosted a dinner for all EFA community members in beautiful Vienna. It was a wonderful opportunity for the EFA community to meet at the sides of the Congress, to share ideas and experiences, reinforcing the dedication of EFA members to have a common voice for respiratory patients across Europe.
Opportunities to engage in with EU-funded projects’ partners
EFA was delighted to participate in the launch of the EU-funded project #LungHealth4Life, which is coordinated by ERS under Lungs Europe. With this project, in which EFA is a partner, we aim at advancing lung function testing and to promote lung health and disease prevention with pilot testing in some schools across Europe. EFA will lead the Community of Practices (CoP) in the project. It will be a collaborative platform designed to bring together patients, healthcare professionals, education experts, and policymakers. This dynamic space will help facilitate practical knowledge around to improve lung health prevention and foster meaningful partnerships in the EU.
Strengthened coordination within the European Lung Health Group to #KeepBreathing
At the Congress, EFA reconvened with our partners from the European Lung Health Group (ELHG) to discuss the latest advancements of the #KeepBreathing lung health campaign. Together we exchanged on the impact of the #KeepBreathing campaign launch, with the MEP Lung Health Group event to publish the ‘#KeepBreathing: A vision for EU action on lung health 2024-2029’, and the marking of World Lung Day 2023. The ELHG also discussed the opportunities for better lung health with the new European Parliament and European Commission mandates, which are under the scope of action of the group.
EFA engagement with key health advocates
At the European Lung Foundation (ELF) Patients’ Organisations Day, EFA Vice-President Armando Ruiz engaged with Dr Maria Neira, (WHO Director for Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants), and briefly presented EFA’s EU and WHO work around air quality and the ELHG #KeepBreathing initiative.
EFA also connected with Dr Gauden Galea, (Strategic Advisor of the WHO Regional Director for Europe), who highlighted the importance of addressing lung health in a holistic rather than fragmented way which is the key focus of the ELHG’s #KeepBreathing campaign. We talked with Dr Galea about patient participation in the WHO initiatives on NCDs.
