68 delegates from 12 countries to finalise “Port Blair Declarations on Leptospirosis”

Sixty eight delegates, which includes 23 delegates are from 11 countries USA, Brazil, The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Iran, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand and 16 national experts, have participated in the World Congress on Leptospirosis in Port Blair which will bring better understanding about Leptospirosis and also may yield “Port Blair Declarations on Leptospirosis”.

The Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) Port Blair, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) jointly organised a two day World Congress on Leptospirosis at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Auditorium of RMRC on November 18-19, 2019. The event was formally inaugurated on 19th November. Addressing the inaugural function, Dr. Nhu Nguyen Tran Minh, Team Leader at WHO Country Office, India World Health Organization, told that WHO is looking forward to the documentation of the outcome of the congress that will be drafted at the end of congress. He said that a special session was conducted to get suggestions of delegates from various countries regarding the current burden of leptospirosis in their respective countries and on management of leptospirosis.

Dr. John Timony of Kentucky University, who chaired the inaugural function, suggested that a document collating all the recommendations of the congress may be brought out as “Port Blair Declarations on Leptospirosis”. Dr. Marga Goris of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam, the Netherlands, told that the International Society will take appropriate action based on the experiences on addressing the challenge of leptospirosis shared by the delegates during the sessions. Dr. P. Vijayachari welcomed all the delegates and spoke on the genesis and importance of the congress in the context of the global climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

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Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shiv Shanker Singh, Senior Medical Consultant, G.B. Pant Hospital told that the RMRC not only identified the cause of Andaman Haemorrhagic Fever as Leptospira but has made tremendous contributions in understanding various diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya and pandemic Influenza in the islands. The Congress will conclude on 19th November and will be followed by an International Training Workshop on Laboratory Methods on Leptospirosis, in which participants from several Southeast Asian countries are participating.

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