Infection protection: Research is revealing the breadth of protective functions the body’s microbiome conducts

The ageing population, advent of increasingly advanced medical devices, and (re-)emergence of new (and old) threats are providing new opportunities and challenges for European health and healthcare on a daily basis. Some of the most noteworthy health developments of the last few months include: the creation of a blood test that could help target treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer; a world-first breakthrough in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, currently the world’s deadliest infectious disease; and the discovery that brain cell transplants may help undo the damage caused by Parkinson’s disease.

Elsewhere, the World Health Organization has issued a stark warning of the need to step up measles immunisation coverage in Europe or else risk large outbreaks, and also called for renewed efforts to combat the major public health challenge of viral hepatitis.