 Welcome Message from Barcelona.
I am pleased to announce that the next European Congress of Tropical Medicine and International Health will be hosted in Barcelona, Spain, from 2 to 6 October 2011. This will be the 7th Congress organized under the auspices of the Federation of European Societies for Tropical Medicine and International Health (FESTMIH).
The Spanish branch of the European Federation: Spanish Society of Tropical Medicina and International Health (Sociedad Española de Medicina Tropical y Salud Internacional, SEMTSI) delegated to the Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona) the organization of the event. The CRESIB has as its main objective the research and the training of researchers in the field of the International Health as the major weapon to break the vicious cycle of disease and poverty. CRESIB has established on site collaborations with academic and research institutions in Central and South America, the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Oceania. A particular working relationship was established with Mozambique, contributing to the development of the Manhiça Health Research Centre (Centro de Investigaçao em Saúde de Manhiça, CISM), with Bolivia where collaboration with the Universidad Mayor de San Simón and the National Program of Chagas of the Ministry of Health has promoted the creation of a Chagas Disease´s specialized centre for adults in Cochabamba, and with Morocco, where collaboration with the Ministry of Health on Maternal and Child Health programs has been established for several years.
The Congress will not forget the classical aspects of the Tropical Medicine seen through the health research and patients care developed by the European Institutions and their partners, but this time the Congress will put more emphasis on International Health under the motto “Global Change, Migration and Health”. We believe that the surveillance and prevention of diseases in an era of migration and global change are issues where the voice of the European Federation must be heard and this will be a unique opportunity for open debate, discussion and presenting practical examples from which the main world institutions of International Health could benefit. The cases of SARS, avian flu, swine flu, West Nile virus, Chagas transmission in Europe and Chikungunya virus outbreak in Italy are more than simple isolated warnings, they show us the potential dimension of these and other health problems to come. Moreover, during 2010 the EU Parliament and Council will be discussing a common policy and role to play by the institution regarding global health issues. Many of the aspects discussed and the conclusions reached during 2010 could thus be analysed in perspective during the Barcelona Congress.
The SEMTSI is a young society within the European context, created in 1998 and looking forward to the challenge of hosting the Congress in Barcelona where an institution such as CRESIB has gained international reputation. Barcelona has a well deserved good name regarding Congress gatherings and venues, offering a variety of facilities: conference halls, interesting sight-seeing, excellent gastronomy and lively avenues that should have participants as well as accompanying guests spend a most enjoyable time in Catalonia.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome interested health professionals and encourage them to seize this opportunity to present their research and discuss adequate strategies for surveillance, prevention, reduction and control of the rapid movement of microorganisms in a globalized changing world.
Manuel Corachán
Congress Chairman |