Ethiopia: International Congress Examines Zoonotic Diseases and Impact in Developing Nations

Ohio University Press (Athens, OH)

11 August 2011

Columbus, OH — Ethiopian President “Welcomes international scholars”

In an effort to prevent as many as 2 million deaths each year, the inaugural International Congress on Pathogens at the Human-Animal Interface (ICOPHAI) is being planned for September 15-17, 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Dr. Wondwossen Gebreyes, director of Global Health Programs at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine is chairing the congress, which will also prominently feature Ohio State professors and National Academy of Sciences members Dr. Lonnie King and Dr. Linda Saif. Dr. King, internationally renowned scientist and current Dean of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine will deliver the keynote address and Dr.Saif, professor, OSU Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine will address enteric viral zoonotic diseases in sessions designed to bring together scientists from the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific countries,with those from the US, Europe and other developed nations. Additionally, Dr. Larry Schlesinger, Chair of the Public Health Preparedness on Infectious Diseases (PHPID) will also give a plenary address.

“We want to foster interaction among scientists, policy makers, and development partners and facilitate scientific information exchange,” said Dr. Gebreyes. In east and central Africa alone, lives of more than 150 million people depend primarily on livestock. The majority of the emerging infectious diseases are of zoonotic origin – starting in an animal population and moving to humans. Diarrheal diseases, most of which originate from food and water, are the third most common cause of child mortality, with an estimated two million deaths each year globally.

The three-day congress will include eight thematic plenary sessions: Enteric food- and water-borne infections; Emerging zoonoses and the wildlife interface; Respiratory zoonotic diseases and global impact; Drug discovery and antimicrobial resistance; Immunology and vaccine development; Parasitic zoonoses and the environment; Genomics and molecular epidemiology; Policy, Capacity Building and other significantissues.

Other noted speakers include Professor Jonna AK Mazet, Director of the One Health Institute and Wildlife Health Center in the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and Global Director for PREDICT; Dr. Cecil Czerkinsky, Deputy Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and Dr. Maria Giovanni, Assistant Director for Microbial Genomics and Advanced Technologies at the National Institute of Health, U.S.

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