Within CNIPH a Forum on Preventive Medicine started, which is scheduled to take place at least once every two weeks at the amphitheatre lecture hall in Rockefellerova 2.  Conceived as a technical lecture, it will be followed by debate and passing of recommendations both for public health professionals and for the public at large.  There is a link between lecture titles and the activities run by CNIPH, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, international projects and other projects of importance for prevention in Croatia.  To publish lecture summaries, use will be made of the Institute’s web pages.  Lecturers themselves, working as professionals of different fields, are obliged to supplement their lecture summaries with new important pieces of knowledge acquired in their respective fields. The forums held in February covered the following topics: “Avian influenza – chicken plague”, “Genetically modified organisms”, “Mass Immunisation Schedule”.  Forum moderators were Assist. Prof. Slobodan Lang, MD, DSc, deputy director for medical issues, and Slavko Sobot, DSc, head, Research Unit, CNIPH. 

INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY SERVICE
(Croatian Ministry of Health Reference Centre for Epidemiology)
- Head, Assist. Prof. Ira Gjenero-Margan, MD, DSc

Jordanovac Pulmonary Disease Clinic, Ministry of Health, and Open Society Croatia Institute began carrying out the project “Improvement of tuberculosis control in Croatia – education programme for chest physicians, general practitioners and community service providers” at the beginning of 2003.  As part of the project and in collaboration with CNIPH, a one-day course “Improvement of TB surveillance and monitoring” shall take place on 23 March 2004 at the Special Hospital for Respiratory System Diseases of Children and Youths (Srebrnjak 100, Zagreb).  It was designed for a group of epidemiological representatives of all county public health institutes.  The plan envisages that all epidemiologists should complete several future courses as part of a systematic training. 

CNIPH will mark the World TB Day in collaboration with Croatian Society for Pulmonary Diseases in Croatian Medical Association’s Main Hall in Subiceva 9 at 10.00-15.00 hours on Mrach 24.  A technical meeting of epidemiologists and pulmonary disease professionals will analyse Croatia’s present tuberculosis-related situation in order to produce new guidelines for the future. 

The problems debated within CNIPH related to the treatment of infectious diseases in uninsured patients, with special reference to tuberculosis and specifically in regard of isolation of such patients, accessibility of medicines and payment for the services delivered by hospitals.  These problems are capable of solution in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare provided a clear instruction is issued on how to assist and manage such patients.

CHRONIC MASS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
- Head, Pr Vlasta Hrabak-Zerjavic, MD, MSc

Within the continuing training provided by the Zagreb School on Alcoholism, by Dr Maja Silobrcic‑Radic attended a seminar on “Alcoholism as a Social-Medical Problem”, which was organised by the Psychiatric Clinic, Sestre Milosrdnice Clinical Hospital.

At WHO/EURO in Copenhagen, Pr Vlasta Hrabak-Zerjavic, MD, MSc attended on 16-18 February 2004 a workshop for national focal points of the “Tobacco-Free Europe” programme. The Workshop theme related to the Member Countries’ activities in the area of smoking prevention and control as part of a 2-year collaboration agreement with the WHO.  For the 2004‑05 period, Croatian obligations include:

(i) drawing up of a National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Smoking

(ii) harmonisation of the legislation in line with the Framework Convention on Prevention and Control of Smoking

(iii) formation of a national coalition of NGOs (primarily professional) for campaigns in the field of smoking prevention and control, and

(iv) development of smoking dehabituation programmes.

All countries that have not signed the Framework Convention on Control and Prevention of Smoking yet, were called upon to do so by 29 June 2004.

SOCIAL MEDICINE SERVICE
- Head, Pr Urelija Rodin, MD, MSc

On 27-29 February 2004, Pr Ranko Stevanovic, MD, MSc took part in Barcelona, Spain, at the gathering Health Development Action in South East Europe (Stability Pact) – Project on Emergency Medical Services.  Its organisers, World Health Organisation and Council of Europe, have assembled the representatives of South East European countries with the aim of linking up initiatives for the development of emergency medical services in this region.  Presented, among other, was the Croatian Emergency Medical Service system.  In conclusion, collaboration was agreed in these areas: designation of a single telephone number for emergency calls, providing of specific training for emergency medical service professionals, organisation and development of the emergency medical service in hospitals, and improvements to be made to the professional status of the Emergency Medical Service staff. 

SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
- Head, Pr Marina Kuzman, MD, DSc

A technical meeting devoted to the prevention of venereal diseases among the school population took place at CNIPH.  It emphasised the need for a professional, comprehensive and consistent approach to this problem area, taking account of certain viewpoints and proposals put forward by other public institutions and organisations.  Also recognised was the need for closer co-operation among all participants in the creation and implementation of the Educational Programme for School children as well as for school health specialists that would be more involved in the above activities.

Health Care Act and Drug Abuse Control Act (as amended) have set 31 March 2004 as the deadline for the transfer of Addiction Prevention Centres to institutes of public health. This leaves open finding a systemic solution for two fundamental issues, i.e., the adoption of a network of centres and the establishment of Drug Addiction Prevention Services within public health institutes and defining their financing model in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and with Croatian Institute for Health Insurance.

MICROBIOLOGY SERVICE
- Head, Dr Vera Katalinic-Jankovic

On 20 January 2004, the presentation of a new system for rapid urine diagnosis (Mastascanelite – Mast Urine Screening System) took place in Celje (Slovenia).  The event was organised by the Slovenian Microbiological Society.

Attending the gathering for CNIPH was B. Hunjak, MD, MSc from the Bacteriological Diagnostics of Urogenital Infection Unit.  During the Seminar, the Mast’s representatives showed automated diagnostic systems used in microbiology, introducing the MASTASCANELITE system and reporting on the past practical experience.  This system is in routine use in Great Britain and some West European countries. 

The Mast Urine Screening System is a rapid and efficient urine sample reading method, with which in 18 hours one can analyse 93% of the samples tested.  Simultaneously, it permits the separation of positive samples from the negative, bacterial identification of positive samples and performing of sensitivity tests.  The principle of the system is based on microtitre plate inoculation, rendering possible simultaneous analysis of 96 samples. The plates are impregnated with biochemical identification media and with antibiotics at certain concentrations.

Reading and interpretation of the findings can be either automatic through a multipurpose MASTASCANELITE device, or manual by means of the MAST GenAssist Software package.   Besides allowing rapid analyses of laboratory findings, MASTASCANELITE also permits analysing the profiles of bacterial resistance and epidemiologic data analysis.  Suitable for rapid analysis of a large number of samples, this system symbolises the future of microbiological diagnostics. 

HEALTH ECOLOGY SERVICE
Head, Krunoslav Capak, MD, MSc

Dr Diana Brlek Gorski from the Food Microbiology Unit, CNIPH took part in the activity of the professional and organising committee of the Workshop “Standardised Microbiological Methods in Food Surveillance”. Organised by Croatian Microbiological Society, National Bureau of Standards and Zagreb Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the Workshop was held on 17-19 February 2004 in Zagreb.  It has underlined the role of the Committee on Food Microbiology at the National Bureau of Standards, which takes part in the drawing up of new standards, in taking over of the ISO/EN food microbiology-related standards and in transforming them in the Croatian systems of standards. The lectures illustrated all Croatian standards (HR) already adopted, and the method of implementing them in daily routine (practice). The application of standardised microbiologic methods is an important precondition for good laboratory practice and laboratory accreditation.