Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Central and Eastern Europe Conference

Sofia, Bulgaria
September 20-25, 2009

Poster for Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases in Central and Eastern Europe, September 20-25, 2009 in Sofia Bulgaria.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and several international partners will participate in a four-day conference in Sofia, Bulgaria focused on the enhancement of collaborative research. Conference participants will include scientists from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. The Bulgarian National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences are the in-country partners for the event.

Scientists from the United States and Central, Eastern, and Western Europe will discuss research opportunities related to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases endemic to the region, or that may be introduced to the region by travelers, and by environmental factors that influence the spread of the relevant vector. The disease focus areas for this conference will be:

• Viral (specifically Chikungunya, West Nile, dengue, hantaviruses, tick-borne encephalitis, and Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever)
• Bacterial (Borrelia)
• Parasitic (Babesia) agents of human disease

The conference, sponsored by NIAID and the U.S. Department of State, Biosecurity Engagement Program, will cover recent advances in the research of the eight diseases and identify opportunities for research training and collaboration among the participating countries. Topics of discussion concerning the eight diseases will include:

• Upsurge of tick-borne diseases in Europe
• Biological and environmental parameters leading to epidemics
• Vector control
• Epidemiological, pathogenic and diagnostic aspects
• Clinical research and vaccine development

Staff from NIAID, NIH, and the Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CDRF) will provide individual mentoring to interested participants on how to apply for funding for their research. In addition to regular funding mechanisms, conference participants will be eligible to apply for a competitive, NIAID-funded CDRF grant that provides seed money for collaborative research.

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