October 30, 2009
Public health leaders from nations around the world will gather in Johannesburg, next week and share how their countries are responding to the H1N1 pandemic. Their presentations will highlight the Fourth Annual Meeting of the International Association of National Public Health institutes (IANPHI), November 1-4, at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
More than 80 public health leaders representing 40 countries are expected to attend this gathering of IANPH, which connects and strengthens national public health institutes (NPHIs) such as the United .States’s, Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the China CDC, the UK Health Protection Agency, and Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health.
NPHIs are often on the frontlines against widespread disease and national outbreaks, and IANPHI’s plenary session on Monday, Nov. 2, at 10:45 a.m. will feature a panel discussion on how six nations have responded to the H1N1 pandemic.
Panelists will include:
- Dr. Peter Nsubuga of the U.S. CDC’s Coordinating Center for Global Health
- Dr. Wang Yu, director of the China CDC
- Prof. Barry Schoub, executive director general of South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)
- Dr. Patricia Allen Flores, director, Costa Rica National Institute for Research on Nutrition and Health
- Dr. Mario Henry Rodriguez Lopez, director general, Mexico National Institute of Public Health
- Dr. Amha Kebede, deputy director general of the Ethiopian Health & Nutrition Research Institute.
Panelists will address topics such as screening and containment of H1N1, the impact of international travel, and preparation for the fall/winter flu season, including vaccinations, outreach education, and collaboration with other countries. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former director of the U.S. CDC, president of IANPHI, and director of Emory University’s Global Health Institute, will moderate the panel.
For more information please contact Nombuso Shabalala on 082 886 4238 or 011 386 6462