World’s leading scientists to gather for dengue symposium
World’s leading scientists in the field of dengue will gather next month in Manila to discuss the pressing health issue victimizing hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 million cases occur each year and the Philippines is an endemic country where number of dengue cases and deaths are recorded in different regions. Currently, there is no treatment available for dengue.
The symposium to be hosted by Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) has invited media practitioners all over the country for the activity. Novartis is a key contributor in providing world research in dengue, tuberculosis and malaria. The symposium is part of Novartis’ mission to foster scientific research and organize symposia that focus on neglected diseases.
In an email to The News Today, Kaele Stock, Senior Account Executive of Ruder Finn Corporate Communications said the symposium in the Philippines is one of the few scientific symposia held in endemic country by Novartis. Ruder Finn Corporate Communications is the public relations agent of Novartis.
The topics in the symposium will include dengue treatment research approaches, clinical management of dengue in the Philippines and dengue prevalence in the Philippines and community based interventions. Medical experts will discuss new approaches to dengue drug discovery, its growing global presence and possible new solutions and breakthroughs in science.
Possible participants include roundtable discussion with global dengue experts like Paul Herrling, Novartis Head of Corporate Research and Chairman, Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases; Pei-Yong Shi, head of NITD Dengue Unit; Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, Director of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control; Dr. Elizabeth Hunsperger, of the CDC Dengue Diagnostic Laboratory; Dr. Duane Gubler, director for Asia-Pacific Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases and Catherine A. Laughlin of NIAID virology research.
Participants in the symposium will be given the opportunity in visiting local healthcare facilities and local health workers for a first-hand insight about the challenges and issues of Dengue in endemic region.