News and Notes

"Pathogen Discovery: From Molecular Biology to Diseases"

Organizers: Georg Hess and Helen H. Lee

"Genetics, Pathogenesis and Ecology of Emerging Viral Diseases"

Organizers: Michael J. Buchmeier and Clarence J. Peters

The two symposia will be held concurrently at the Civic Center, Taos, New Mexico, January 24-30, 2000. For information on registration and abstract submission, see the Keystone Symposia Web Site at: http://www.symposia.com.

Summary of Symposia Contents

There is still a long list of serious diseases whose causes remain undetermined. Recently, new technologies have allowed the discovery of a number of new and emerging pathogens. Elucidation of pathogenesis and disease associated with these agents has been challenging and controversial.

The first of these concurrent symposia, "Pathogen Discovery: From Molecular Biology to Diseases," seeks to foster discussion of important subjects related to pathogen discovery, including the assessment of evidence implicating candidate infectious agents in disease, the value of animal models, technologies used to search for candidate pathogen sequences, and approaches to the study of disease pathogenesis. Interactions between the host and the infectious agent will be addressed, with reference to susceptibility, viral persistence, and disease expression.

The second symposium will explore these issues in detail as they apply to emerging viruses. Emerging viruses have attracted attention in the scientific and popular press, and their recognition as serious human disease threats has resulted in a flood of reports describing their appearance and spread. Examination of this body of literature during the second symposium will allow the identification of several themes central to the understanding and control of emerging viruses. These themes include interpreting the role of genetic variation in animal and human disease, understanding the ecologic relationships of the virus to its natural host and vectors, and delineating how these relationships affect humans.

The mechanisms of viral pathogenesis must be understood so that therapeutic and vaccination strategies can be designed. The combination of a rapidly expanding world population and the ease of travel on a global scale provide opportunities for transport of viral vectors or infected persons from disease-endemic areas to other regions, heightening the urgent need for detection and prevention strategies. Key investigators in each of these areas will present recent findings in a setting that facilitates comparisons with other presentations highlighting the social and economic problems posed by emerging viral diseases.

Applied Epidemiology Course  
Wellington, New Zealand,
February 14-18, 2000

This course, offered by the Wellington School of Medicine as part of its Third International Summer School, provides participants with core skills in applied epidemiology: the ability to analyze data from an epidemiologic perspective, explore data using geographic information systems (GIS), set up surveillance systems, and investigate disease outbreaks and clusters. The course also teaches analytical skills, including practical use of EpiInfo and GIS software.

Highly interactive teaching and case studies provide the knowledge and skills needed for work in public health. The course is specifically designed for medical and nonmedical staff who undertake field investigations, for infection control staff, and for policy analysts who interpret data.

The course is convened by Michael Baker, a public health physician at New Zealand's national communicable disease surveillance center (ESR) `and senior lecturer at the Department of Public Health, Wellington School of Medicine. Other contributors, from ESR, the Wellington School of Medicine and the Wellington public health service, include epidemiologists with training and experience in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

Cost for the 5-day course is NZ$1,150. For further information or application, contact the Department of Public Health, Wellington School of Medicine, P.O. Box 7343, Wellington South; telephone: 64-4-385-5999, ext. 6052; fax: 64-4-389-5139; e-mail: comhtw@wnmeds.ac.nz; homepage: www.wnmeds.ac.nz/academic/dph.

 4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Health Care-Associated Infections  
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, March 59, 2000

On-Line Abstract Submission DeadlineNovember 15, 1999

Every 10 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsors the International Conference on Nosocomial and Health Care-Associated Infections in Atlanta, Georgia. The 1970, 1980, and 1990 conferences set the agenda for research and infection control practices for the respective decades; the Fourth Decennial Conference will set the agenda for the new millennium.

Call for abstracts

The deadline for on-line submission of abstracts is November 15, 1999. The deadline for abstracts submitted by mail is November 1, 1999. Selected late-breaker abstracts must be submitted by Monday, January 17, 2000. Abstracts can be submitted on-line starting in June at http://www.decennial.org/. Abstract submission forms can be downloaded from the Internet site or mailed upon request. Abstract submission forms will be automatically distributed to all Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), and Society for Health Care Epidemiology of America (SHEA) members, as well as attendees at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

Program Registration

Program and registration information will be distributed to all members of APIC, IDSA, and SHEA, as well as to ICAAC attendees. If you are not a member of one of these organizations, please contact the 4th Decennial Conference (see below) and ask to be placed on the mailing list. The conference will be held in conjunction with the 10th annual meeting of SHEA; separate registration is required for SHEA events.

For more information contact the 4th Decennial Conference, 6220 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852, USA; telephone: 301-984-9450; fax: 301-984-9441; e-mail: info@decennial.org; Internet: www.decennial.org.

Towards a Healthy Europe for the Year 2010  

V European Conference on Health Promotion and Health Education Santander, Spain, May 10-13, 2000

The theme of cultural diversity has been chosen for this conference, which will deal with professional practices, communication in social settings, and health policies that should be developed to achieve a healthy Europe for the next millennium.

We believe that the coexistence of different cultures is sometimes the cause of health problems but also increasingly the source of solutions and opportunities for health promotion and for the achievement of a healthy Europe.

The subjects related to this central theme will be addressed in plenary sessions, open debates, oral presentations, and poster sessions. There will also be workshops which will serve as a forum for professionals with common interests in specific areas.

For additional information, please contact Asociación de Educación para la Salud (ADEPS), Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, 4^a Norte, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, c/o Profesor Martín Lagos, 28040 Madrid, Spain; telephone: 34-91-330-3422; fax: 34-91-543-7504; e-mail: msainz@hcsc.es.

Erratum Vol. 5 No. 3

In the article "Use of Antimicrobial Growth Promoters in Food Animals and Enterococcus faecium Resistance to Therapeutic Antimicrobial Drugs in Europe, " by H.C. Wegener et al., reference 3 is incorrect. The correct reference is

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States, 1997. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1998; 46:1-87.

We regret any confusion this error may have caused.

ICEID 2000  Call for Abstracts

Abstract submission to ICEID 2000 is now possible through the Conference Web site, and we strongly encourage you to make use of this electronic method. Not only will you be able to submit your abstract in a finished form (prepared using your own word processing program such as Word or WordPerfect, on PC or Macintosh platforms), but you can check back to learn acceptance status, presentation location, and time information. In addition, it will save you both the costs of postage and the worry of a lost submission.

ICEID 2000 is using the American Society for Microbiology's Web-based Abstract Submission System. If you have used the system to submit to either the 1999 or 2000 ASM General Meetings or the 1999 ICAAC Meeting, you will be able to reenter the system as a returning user.

For more information on ICEID abstract submission, see the ASM Web site: www.asmusa.org. Follow the links to Meetings and ICEID 2000.

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This page last reviewed November 22, 1999

Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention