Honored colleagues, dear friends,
With great pleasure we invite you to support the 3rd Croatian Epidemiology Congress „From first quarantine to modern epidemiology“ with international participation which will be held in Šibenik, from May 7-9, 2015.
Based on the traditions of the world's first quarantine, established to combat the great and deadly black plague, epidemiology today faces two challenges, new diseases and reemerging diseases. Although we have powerful weapons like active and passive immunisation, antibiotics for treatment and prophylaxis, highly effective disinfectants and outbreak control measures, insecticides to control vectors, communicable diseases and their control remain our constant challenge. Due to the globalization of travel and trade and increasing speed of travel, the expansion of communicable diseases was never easier. Today we are threatened by new diseases like Ebola, new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, avian flu, and unintentional release of laboratory pathogens. Immediately after the experience with pandemic influenza virus, we had for the first time cases of autochthonous dengue and West Nile fever . All this will be the topics of our Congress, where we expect participation of colleague infectologists, pediatricians, general practitioners, microbiologists, veterinarians, biologists and experts from other fields that also participate in the control of communicable diseases .
Epidemiology of chronic diseases, directed at the most significant mass chronic diseases through the early detection and national programs, deals also with all other illnesses and medical conditions. At the Congress, epidemiological research of disease etiology, risk factors, evaluation of effectiveness of preventive measures and treatment, methods of decreasing morbidity, mortality and disability in the area of chronic illness will be discussed. Along with epidemiologists, we expect our colleague experts of clinical medicine from areas of cardiovascular disease, oncology, mental disorders and other chronic diseases and medical conditions to contribute. Our environment and nature surrounding us is the source of our prosperity, but also carries many health risks, so we expect contributions from environmental and medical ecology experts. Over the last years we are faced with one of the biggest risk factors for health of our population, economy crisis and stress over poverty, unemployment and existential fear, so this will be another Congress topic.
To make this Congress as successful as possible, we invite you to contribute to the joint efforts of improving and maintaining health of all our citizens, to successful control of diseases and epidemics. Both domestic and international lecturers and workshop leaders will participate in the Congress. We are pleased that in addition to epidemiologists the Congress will gather experts from similar fields, members of the academic community, experts from other fields, patient organizations to regulatory agencies and other sectors.
We are looking forward to your participation in the Congress and warmly welcome you to beautiful Šibenik.
Yours sincerely,
Congress President
President of Croatian epidemiologist society