CDC conference gathers thousands of public health professionals to discuss emerging infectious diseases

An international conference held this week in Atlanta, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Task Force for Global Health, Inc., sought to provide a space for the exchange of information related to infectious diseases.

The event is held every two to three years and brings out more than 1,500 public health professionals from around the world for the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID). Attending experts use the occasion to address the emergence, spread and control of these diseases, covering a host of health threats that affect both the United States and its colleagues in the international scene. The three-day conference includes panel sessions, presentations, and scientific and public health exhibitors.

This year, the event’s main themes included mold exposure and the need for personal protective equipment as learned from the fatalities of Hurricane Harvey. Conference participants also focused on deaths due to infections in alcohol, opioid and illegal drug use; advancement and lasting concerns in the eradication of polio, measles, and rubella; the infectious causes of child mortality; and addressing the Guinea worm disease, among others.

Experts discussed surveillance and outbreak response measures, as well as the new dangers such containment efforts face, such as antimicrobial resistance. Emerging diseases, along with a host of infections and illnesses, pose challenges across the world, marking the importance of such conferences as ICEID and the communal effort to eliminate those threats.