News and notes
This department furnishes information concerning institutions, organizations, and individuals engaged in work on leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases, and makes note of scientific meetings and other matters of interest.
India. 10th International Congress of Immunology . The 10th International Congress of Immunology will be held 1-7 November 1998 in New Delhi. Contact: A. C. Bagchi, Program Coordinator, 10th International Congress of Immunology, P.O. Box 666, Napierville, IL 60566, U.S.A. Fax: 630-416-6828.
Maharashtra State Leprosy Workers' Conference held . The Maharashtra State Leprosy Workers' Conference was held on 13-15 February 1998 at Mahabaleshwar with 225 delegates participating. The theme of the conference was "Leprosy elimination at 2000 A.D. and post-elimination problems." For the first time 40% participation was received from the government sector, which was around 5% at the previous conference. The summary report of guest lectures and scientific deliberation of the conference is given below.
Dr. S. B. Chavan, Joint Director of Health Services (Leprosy), narrated his experience of the recently conducted Modified Leprosy Elimination Campaign in Maharashtra State. He showed his desire to hold such campaigns frequently in the future before 2000 A.D. to achieve the elimination goal. In the absence of Dr. R. Gana-pati, Director of the Bombay Leprosy Project, Dr. C. R. Revankar read his paper on the "Role of paramedical workers in the changing scenario of elimination activities." He traced the necessity of training paramedical workers to understand the rationale of short duration chemotherapy and the practice of ROM for single-lesion cases. Mr. S. P. Tare, Secretary, NLO, while expressing his views on the "Role of voluntary organizations after the leprosy elimination phase," emphasized more the voluntary organizations' participation in POD training, research and rehabilitation work. Dr. W. S. Bhatki, WHO Consultant, and Dr. V. V. Dongre, Director, Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation, while putting their views on post-elimination problems, suggested adoption of community-based rehabilitation, acquaintance of recent advances in leprosy to general medical practitioners and the traced not to lose the concentration on the present leprosy elimination work and introduction of stepwise integration of leprosy into the general health services with proper caution.
There were a couple of papers presented on the work carried out in a difficult area, nomadic population and population such as construction workers, fishermen, etc., who were never examined before. The results indicated that such work has to be undertaken on a priority basis in the state. There was a separate session on involvement of general medical practitioners in the leprosy program and the referrals of voluntary reporting MB cases. It was noticed that voluntary reporting of MB cases at leprosy centers is mainly because of referral by general private practitioners, cured leprosy patients and staff of general health services, respectively. Further, it was found that 15% to 20% of the new cases of leprosy in any given area are diagnosed and treated by general private practitioners. To develop a proper rapport by the leprosy program with the above groups is the need of the time. The proper regimen of steroids to patients in reaction in the field and ROM treatment for monolesion cases were the major topics for the exhaustive discussion.
It was suggested at the time of the closing session that: a) the necessity of establishing the leprosy medical center at a district level of a hyperendemic region for ensuing the expertization of leprosy in the post-elimination phase; b) it is necessary to have proper interaction and cooperation in NGO's and government health services; and c) this kind of regional conferences by grouping four to five districts of different parts of the state have to be organized to disseminate recent knowledge and methodologies of leprosy elimination to leprosy workers as early as possible.-S. S. Naik, Hon. Secretary, HKNS-MB
Spain. 1998 Families' curso . XXXV Curso Internacional de Leprología Para Médicos organizado por el Sanatorio San Francisco de Borja de Fontilles y patrocinado por la Asamblea Española de la Soberana Orden de Malta y la Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo-C.A.M. con la colaboración de la Conselleria de Sanidad y Consumo de la Generali a Valenciana Profesores de Dermatología de las Facultades de Medicina. El XXXV Curso tendrá lugar en el Sanatorio de Fontilles desde el dia 8 al 14 de noviembre de 1998, dirigido por el doctor J. Terencio de las Aguas, Director Médico, Sanatorio San Francisco de Borja, 03791 Fontilles (Alicante), España. Tel: 3496-558-3350; fax: 34-96-558-3376.
Los aspirantes a este curso debarán diri gir sus instancias antes del 30 de jimio de 1998.
U.K. CAB International titles on BioMedNet . BioMedNet Ltd. of London (http// BioMedNet.com/cabi) announces the availability of full-text titles and bibliographic databases from CAB International in the BioMedNet Library. The following are available now: AIDS Newsletter, AIDS Targeted Information, Helminthological Abstracts, Journal of Helminthology. New for 1998 are: Abstracts on Hygiene and Communicable Diseases, Tropical Diseases Bulletin, Review of Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Review of Medical and Veterinary Mycology and Protozoological Abstracts.
You can: view tables of contents and abstracts online free; search through full text of journal, newsletter and bibliographic databases free; see lull text, graphics and tables for $15; see full record in a bibliographic database for $0.85; subscribe to any ol" the above journals for same price as (Mint; have free online access for current personal print subscribers.
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Tropical Health for the 21st Century/4th Residential Meeting of the Royal Society of 'Tropical Medicine to be held . From 14-18 September 1998, the 2nd European Congress on Tropical Medicine (Tropical Health for the 21st Century: Clone, Cure and Control) will be held in conjunction with the 4th Residential Meeting of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool. Contact: Prof. M. Hommel or Dr. R. D. G. Theakston, European Congress Office, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K. Fax: 44-151 -708-8733 or 44-151 -7089007; email: eurocong@liv.ac.uk