- Volume 73 , Number 1
- Page: 39–41
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.
Notice. from Asia.
International Course on Rehabilitation and Prevention of Disability (RPOD) and Course in Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
For many years now a much needed and very successful international course on Rehabilitation and Prevention of Disabilities (RPOD) has been conducted in Pokhara, Nepal. The international faculty are very experienced in clinical leprosy and the rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy.
The RPOD-Management course will aim at teaching concepts in rehabilitation and POD, approaches to rehabilitation, rehabilitation and POD management, specifically as it relates to leprosy affected persons.
The course will include sessions about monitoring and evaluation of activities in these areas. The course will be based on the concepts and terminology used in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) published by the World Health Organization.
For a limited number of participants an opportunity will be offered for additional in-service training during the week(s) following the management course. The participants will be assigned on a one-to-one basis to a tutor who will guide them through a self-learning program.
Available topics include institutional rehabilitation, CBR, expanding the services of a leprosy hospital to serve people with other rehabilitation needs, agricultural rehabilitation, statistics and information systems, footwear, prosthesis and orthoses, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. These placements will be available strictly by arrangement prior to the course only.
CBR-course. Increasingly, rehabilitation, and prevention of disability takes place in the community with the active involvement and participation of the community. Approriate technology is advocated, self help groups are formed, microfinance business training is started, etc. Everything is geared towards the empowerment of people with disability and the communities in which they live.
The main objective of the course is that participants will have a working knowledge of all the important aspects related to CBR. Besides plenary theoretical sessions there will be a variety of practical (skill) sessions.
For those interested in both courses in-service training if desired can also be arranged following the CBR course.
DATES: RPOD course 7 to 18 March, 2005 (2 weeks) [+optional week(s) if prearranged]
CBR course March 21 to April 1, 2005 (2 weeks) (in-service, if pre-arranged)
TARGET GROUP: Managers of rehabilitation and/or POD programs, senior hospital staff, senior leprosy control staff and doctors and therapists with managerial responsibilities for RPOD/ CBR activities.
VENUE: The Green Pastures Training Centre in Pokhara, Nepal
COURSE FEES (including board & lodging): $350 per week
FURTHER INFORMATION: Detailed information can be obtained from:
The Training Officer
GPTC
P.O. Box 28
Pokhara 33701 Nepal
tel +977 61 524562
fax +977 61 520430
E-mail: gptc@inf.org.np
Notice. from Africa.
The All Africa Leprosy, TB, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (ALERT) announces its calendar of international training courses for 2005 (see Calendar). Courses vary from 1 to 6 weeks on topics including community based rehabilitation, 40 International Journal of Leprosy 2005 basic and clinical leprosy, TB, and HIV for physicians, sentionr field staff, and physicians.
For further information contact the ALERT Training Division, PO Box 165, Addis Ab-baba, Ethiopia. Tel 251-1-211-341 FAX 251-1-211-351.
E-mail: leprosytb@elecom.net.et
Web-site: www.telecom.net.et/tdalert
Notice. from South America Workshop on Hansen's Disease: The Challenge to Integrate Diagnose and Treatment Activities into Basic Care.
Last November 2004, a workshop was held in Brasilia (DF) on the integration of leprosy services in the basic health services. Guest lecturers were Dr. S. K. Noordeen, President of ILA, and Dr. Denie Daumerie from the World Health Organization. The one-day workshop was organized by the Ministry of Health of Brazil and coordinated by Dr. Rosa Castálisa França Soares Ribeiro, which is leading the National Program for Leprosy Elimination in Brazil. The meeting was attended by coordinators of the state programs of elimination, consultants from PAHO and MoH, and members of municipal health services and MORHAN. Dr. Noordeen addressed the Indian experience on integration of leprosy services in the general health services, which was a valuable contribution to the discussion of this same process in Brazil. In the agenda of the workshop, it was also included the discussion of the targets and challenges for the year 2005 in what regards the elimination of leprosy in Brazil.
Successful experiences in disease control in Brazil presented at 4th Expoepi.
Minister of Health Humberto Costa and Secretary of Health Surveillance Jarbas Barbosa inaugurated the 4th National Exhibition of Successful Experiences in Epidemiology and Disease Prevention and Control (Expoepi-exhibit on epidemiology experiences). The objectives of the event, the most important in its area in all of Brazil, are to bring to light and reward actions implemented in states and cities that had a positive impact on the prevention and control of diseases of importance to public health by improving the quality of epidemiological surveillance. In the competitive exhibit, 27 experiences are being presented, in nine categories, including successful experiences in the elimination of leprosy, which received on of the top prizes.
A national award to Dr. Diltor V. A. Orpomolla. During the opening ceremony for 4th Expoepi, Minister of the Health Humberto Costa reaffirmed the federal government's commitment to do whatever it takes to eliminate the disease. In addition, a group of scientist were honored by the Ministry of Health in the opening night and one of those was Dr. Diltor V. A. Opromolla, renowned worldwide as a symbol of the struggle against leprosy. Among many contribution of Prof. Opromolla is the introduction of rifampicin as a leading drug in the treatment of leprosy.
Participants of the Workshop on Integration of Leprosy in the General Health Services included (left to right) Dr. M. Virmond (Bauru), Dr. D. Daumeire (WHO), Dr. S. K. Noordeen (ILA), Prof. Vera Andrade (PAHO/WHO), The honorable Ministry of Health Dr. Humberto Costa, Dr. Rosa Castália (MoH), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa (MoH) and Mr. Artur Custódio (MORHAN).
