14.7.2009 Official Journal of the European Union L 181/57 COMMISSION DECISION of 10 July 2009 amending Decision 2000/57/EC on the early warning and response system for the prevention and control of communicable diseases under Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2009) 5515) (Text with EEA relevance) (2009/547 [EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 1998 setting up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the Community ('), and in particular Article 6(5) thereof, After consulting the European Data Protection Supervisor, Whereas: 1) () ) 0] 0] Commission Decision 2000/57/EC of 22 December 1999 on the early warning and response system for the prevention and control of communicable diseases under Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) defines events related to communicable diseases to be communicated by competent public health authorities of Member States to the early warning and response system (EWRS) component of the Community network, and sets up general procedures for information exchange on those events, for consultation and for coordination of measures among Member States in liaison with the Commission. Decision 2000/57/EC also commits competent public health authorities of each Member State to collect and exchange all necessary information on the events on communicable diseases, e.g. by using the national surveillance system, the epidemiological component of the Community network or any other Community collection system. The prevention and control of communicable diseases is defined in Decision No 2119/98/EC as a range of measures, including epidemiological investigation, taken by competent public health authorities in the Member States to prevent and stop the spread of communicable diseases. These measures cover contact tracing activities and along with any relevant information in the possession of national competent public health L 268, 3.10.1998, p. 1. L 21, 26.1.2000, p. 32. () () authority on an event related to communicable diseases are promptly forwarded to all other Member States and the Commission. Furthermore a Member State, which intends to undertake measures, in principle informs in advance the Community network on the nature and scope of those measures, as well as consults and coor- dinates those actions with other Member States in liaison with the Commission. Decision 2000/57 [EC should clearly reflect the provisions of Decision No 2119/98/EC in relation with measures taken or intended to be adopted to prevent and stop the spread of communicable diseases. Furthermore the entry into force of the International Health Regulations (2005) commits the international community to provide a public health response to the international spread of diseases in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade. In occurrence of an event related to communicable disease with a potential EU dimension necessitating contact tracing measures, Members States collaborate with each other in liaison with the Commission through the EWRS in order to identify infected persons and individuals potentially in danger. Such collaboration may involve an exchange of sensitive personal data of confirmed or suspected human cases between Member States concerned by the contact tracing procedure. The processing of personal data related to health is in principle prohibited by provisions of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (}) and of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (*). In addition Article 11 of Decision No 2119/98/EC states , inter alia, that its provisions shall apply without prejudice to Directive 95/46/EC. 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31. oJ L 0J L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.