Global Health: Epidemics require global solutions
Whether Ebola, West Nile, cicavirus or multi-resistant germs - epidemics cannot be stopped by national borders. How best to research, observe and contain them was discussed by around 350 scientists from human and veterinary medicine, epidemiology, bioinformatics and basic research in Berlin from 17 to 19 October 2018.
"Global health is a major topic for research and politics, because global health risks from pandemics are highly topical in times of globalization," said Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin at the opening of the National Symposium on Zoonoses Research, which took place in Berlin from October 17 to 19, 2018. This year, the National Research Platform for Zoonoses hosted the symposium for the first time together with the Research Network Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, which was founded in 2017.
In den Sessions Pathogenesis and Modelling of zoonotic diseases, Risk Assessment and Epidemiology, Innate and Adoptive Immune Response, Antimicrobial Use and Resistance, Selected Plenary Talks of the Research Network of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, New and Re-Emerging zoonotic diseases, Public Health, Pathogen-Cell Interaction, Novel Methods, Diagnostics and NGS und Epidemiology and Ecology of zoonotic infections wurde sowohl dem wissenschaftlichen Aspekt des Symposiums, der Zusammenarbeit mit dem Forschungsnetz als auch ÖGD-relevanten Themen Rechnung getragen. Abgerundet wurde dies durch die Keynote Vorträge etablierter nationaler und internationaler Wissenschaftler*innen wie Dr. Alexandra Mailles (French Public health Agency/ Santé publique France), Prof. Dr. Rene S. Hendriksen (Technical University of Denmark, Dänemark), Dr. Leonard Hamschmidt (Gesundheitsamt Oldenburg) und Dr. Terry Jones (University of Cambridge, GB).
The lectures by Prof. Dr. Andrea Maisner (Philipps University Marburg) and the journalist Kai Kupferschmidt in the impulse session "Science Communication" provoked particularly lively and exciting discussions.
The promotion of young academics was also an important part of the symposium in 2018. In addition to the high proportion of young academics among the more than 150 abstracts submitted, the very popular Junior Scientist Breakfast and the awarding of the poster award to the authors of particularly outstanding posters among the submissions by young academics are worthy of mention in this context.
In 2019, the symposium will once again bring together the global community of zoonoses research in Berlin and address current research findings and challenges.
Christian DrostenCommunityinternationalnationalCharité Berlin
diagnosticsEpidemiologyPublic Health
EbolaWest Nile fever