Conclusions of the 7th European Congress of Tropical Medicine and International Health

7th ECTMIH

CLOSING REMARKS

AND

CONCLUSIONS BARCELONA OCT.2011

THE PLENARY SESSIONS

- TROPICAL MEDICINE AND GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH ARE

CENTRAL TO THE MILL. DEV. GOALS HOWEVER:

WE ARE FAR FROM THE TARGET AND GOALS RELATED TO HEALTH

ARE THE LEAST LIKELY TO BE MET.

THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY CAN:

-GENERATE KNOWLEDGE FOR POLICY MAKERS BASED ON EVIDENCE

- MONITOR AND EVALUATE PROGRESS SHOWING QUANTITATIVE

AND QUALITATIVE RESULTS.

-DISCOVER AND DEVELOP NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS VACCINES

AND TREATMENTS.

-AS A COMMUNITY WE CAN LOOK FOR ANSWERS TO GUIDE MORE

EFFICIENT POLICIES.

TRACK.1

INFECTIOUS AND NEGLECTED

DISEASES

MALARIA

Need to understand pathophysiology of severe malaria

RDTest a breakthrough in diagnosis. FEVER NO longer always =

Malaria

New drugs on the pipeline but not for tomorrow

Availability of a vaccine closer than ever

Pyrethroid resistance spreading

Erradication is the global goal but unrealistic expectations

should be avoided

Circa 800.000 deaths annually

is still unacceptable.

LEISHMANIASIS

Further research in vector control methods needed

4 sessions and over 20 posters on leishmaniasis

Affected communities still having poor access to

drugs

TRACK. 1

INFECTIOUS AND NEGLECTED DIS.

VECTOR BORNE DISEASES

WORLDWIDE EXPANSION OF

MOSQUITO VECTORS

RAISES THE THREAT OF OUTBREAKS

IN EUROPE:

CHIKUNGUNYA, DENGUE, WEST NILE

NEW VACCINES AND NEW CONTROL STRATEGIES NEEDED

INCREASING GLOBAL MIGRATION, COMMERCE AND TRAVEL ARE A CHALLENGE

TRACK 1.

NEGLECTED

DISEASES

WE ALSO NEGLECT

SOME…

CLINICAL AND ECONOMIC BURDEN -INCLUDING LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY- THE FORMER STILL UNDERESTIMATED THE LATER IS POORLY KNOWN WHO HAS DEVELOPED THE GLOBAL PLAN TO COMBAT NTD.

TRACK 1.

INFECTIOUS AND NEGLECTED

DISEASES

CHAGAS DISEASE.

-CLIN. TRIALS TO EVALUATE NEW DRUGS FOR THE CHRONIC

PHASES INCLUDE PROMISING AZOLE COMPOUNDS.

-A BENZNIDAZOLE´S NEW PRESENTATION FOR CHILDREN SOON

-RESULTS OF THE BENEFIT (BENZNIDAZOLE EVALUATION FOR

INTERRUPTING TRYPS) TRIAL IN 2012 WILL HELP FUTURE TREAT.

- PROBLEM OF DRUG STOCK-OUTS NEED TO BE URGENTLY SOLVED

TRACK.1

INFECTIOUS AND NEGLECTED

DISEASES

BACTERIAL DISEASES.

-L.I.C HAVE BECOME THE NEW SOURCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT

OF MULTIRESISTANT BACTERIAE.

-PNEUMONIA REMAINS MAIN KILLER OF UNDER 5´S

-NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS REPLACING BLOOD CULTURE AND X-RAY

NEEDED TO IMPROVE DETECTION OF PNEUMONIA AND INVASIVE

BACTERIAL DISEASE.

TRACK 1.

INFECTIOUS AND NEGLECTED

DISEASES. H.I.V INFECTION

- RECENT SUCCESSES OF PRE-EXPS. PROFLX. FOR PREVENTION

OF HIV INFECTION HAVE OPENED THE POTENTIAL TO OFFER A

BROAD ARRAY OF TOOLS:MICROBICIDE GELS, RINGS AND ORAL

TABLETS.

-HIV VACCINE RESEARCH IS BUILDING UPON LESSONS LEARNED

FROM PREVIOUS TRIALS AS WELL AS RENEWING BASIC RESEARCH

-INTO IMMUNOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF PROTECTION.

-CAPACITY BUILDING IN LOW RESOURCES, HIGH HIV PREVALENCE

COUNTRIES WHERE HIV TRIALS ARE CONDUCTEDE REMAINS A

PRIORITY.

-INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN HIV TESTING IN MIGRANT

POPULATION INCLUDES A SELF TESTING METHOD.

-- FUTURE CHALLENGES RELATED TO HIV MANAGEMENT WITH THE

HETEROGENEOUS GROUP OF MIGRANTS IN EUROPE, DISCUSSED

TRACK.1

INFECTIOUS AND

NEGLECTED

DISEASES

Tb AND HIV

- NEW TOOLS FOR TB CONTROL IN THE FIELD OF DIAGNOSIS,

TREATMENT AND VACCINES

- DISCUSIONS ON CONVENIENCE OF PERFORMING SCREENING FOR

ACTIVE AND LATENT TB IN IMMIGRANTS.

TRACK. 1

INFECTIOUS AND NEGLECTED

DISEASES.

SCHISTOSOMIASIS.

NEW UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.

DNA VACCINE INDUCES SIGNIFICANT PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY

AGAINST S.JAPONICUM IN WATER BUFALOS.

TRACK. 2

WOMEN´S AND

CHILDREN´S

HEALTH

NUTRITION UNDERFUNDED

WHY??

- PROMOTION OF WOMEN´S HEALTH NOT RECEIVING ENOUGH

POLITICAL BACKING IN MANY COUNTRIES. BAD FOR POVERTY FIGHT

- TO IMPROVE THEIR ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES A BETTER

UNDERSTANDING OF THE DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, IDENTIFYING

THE KNOWLEDGE GAPS FOR EVIDENCE-DRIVEN INTERVENTIONS

AND A PRIORIZATION OF EFFORTS AND RESOURCES ON THE MOST

VULNERABLE IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.

- DESPITE SOME PROGRESSES WE ARE STILL TOO FAR

TRACK 3.

CHRONIC DISEASES

LIFE EXPECTANCY IS INCREASING

IN POOR AND DISADVANTAGED

COMMUNITIES.

THIS FACT INCREASES THE

BURDEN OF NCD AND

CONTRIBUTES TO THE WIDENING

HEALTH GAPS BETWEEN AND

WITHIN COUNTRIES.

- CARDIOVASCULAR

- CANCER

- CHR.RESPIRATORY DIS.

- DIABETES

POTENTIAL TO EXTEND EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO PREVENT THEM.

BUT EXPENSES RISING

TRACK 4.

HEALTH SYSTEMS AND

RESOURCES

GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERS

INCLUDING: WHO, UNICEF,

GATES FOUNDATION HAVE

LAUNCHED THE Decade of

Vaccines (DoV).

Delivering lifesaving vaccines

to the most vulnerable

populations in the poorest

Countries over the next

decade.

THE GLOBAL VACCINE

ACTION PLAN (GVAP)

TRACK. 4

HEALTH

SYSTEMS

AND

RESOURCES

PRESENTATIONS MOSTLY BASED IN CASE STUDIES

HUGE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR OPTIMIZING

HEALTH SYSTEMS AND RESOURCES IN TROPICAL COUNTRIES.

EXAMPLES:

UNFAIRNESS IN WORKING CONDITIONS AMONG HEALTH WORKERS

(Tanzania)

RUNNING COST ANALYSIS REQUIRED TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES

NEEDED FOR THE HOSPITAL FUNCTION (Central Africa)

ADOPTING PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO PALLIATIVE CARE AND

EQUAL ACCESS TO HEALTH (Ecuador)

ROLE OF THE FAMILY DOCTOR TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM

(Cuba)

TRACK. 5

GLOBAL MIGRATION,

CONFLICTS AND

POPULATION HEALTH

THE U.N.H.C.R PARTICIPATES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A

ECTMIH

AN INCREASING PHENOMENA AS DAYLI LIFE SHOWS.

-NEED TO ANALIZE THE BALANCE FOR HEALTH ACCESS, SOCIOECONOMICAL STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE ESPECIALLY IN ECONOMIC MIGRANTS - NEED OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE MIGRATION PHENOMENA : SOCIAL SCIENCES, INFECTIOS DISEASES, AND N.C.D.