This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Bernitz, B. K. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bernitz, B. K. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Communicable disease policy development in response to changing European political frontiers in Finland, Norway and Sweden

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Department of Public Health & Policy, London, UK, brita.kaltenbrunner{at}bernitz.se

Aims: The European Union (EU) enlargement of 2004 brings both opportunities and challenges for public health. It is believed that further integration will bring direct health benefits, mainly through improved socioeconomic conditions, but there are also risks associated with the EU expansion, in particular cross-border health risks, such as the impact of the internal EU market policy of free movement and migration on communicable disease patterns. Against this background, this article examines communicable disease policy development in Finland, Norway and Sweden in response to changing European political frontiers, in particular the EU accession of the Baltic States. The emphasis is on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Methods: The study is based on a qualitative and quantitative approach, using two complementary methods: documentary analysis and stakeholder analysis. Results: The article identifies a distinct pattern in communicable disease policy development between 1990 and 2005. The turn of the new millennium saw a sharp increase in national attention and the priority assigned to communicable diseases in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The article argues that this development is likely to be related to the rising national, regional and European awareness of the public health challenges associated with communicable diseases in today's borderless Europe. It also shows that the Baltic health situation is a particular concern for Finland. Conclusions: Although there is increasing national and regional activity within the communicable disease area, there is a need for a more effective European approach to tackle the future communicable disease challenges that may follow in an increasingly interdependent and integrated Europe.

Key Words: Baltic States • communicable diseases • communicable disease policy • cross-border movement • European Economic Area • European Union • Finland • migration • Norway • Sweden

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?