5 months after the outbreak of the 1st flu pandemic of the 21st century, the 2nd European Meeting of EHESP School of Public Health, held at the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, in Brussels, on the 28th and 29th of September, 2009, tackled influenza A (H1N1)-related issues from two complementary angles:
- On Monday, September 28th, international experiences with the pandemic as well as preparedness and response plans were presented by guest speakers from the WHO, ECDC, as well as national health authorities from Mexico, Serbia, the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. At the end of the day, the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) unveiled its agenda through the year 2015.
- The second day of the conference, which took place on Tuesday, September 29th, was devoted to research on influenza A (H1N1). Conference sessions were held by the various stakeholders of the “WHO-CoPanFlu” multi-center international research project coordinated by the EHESP School of Public Health, allowing a dialogue to take place between Inserm-France, the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD), the Mérieux Foundation, and representatives Copanflu-participating countries (Serbia, Morocco, Senegal, Djibouti and Mali among others).
According to Professor Antoine Flahault, Dean of EHESP and expert in communicable diseases: “Given the current pandemic situation, it is necessary to establish dialogue between public health experts and decision makers from developed and developing countries as well as international institutions. The 2nd European Meeting of EHESP School of Public Health gave us the opportunity to bring together one hundred people from 15 different nationalities to discuss influenza-related issues. Given the quality of the conference sessions and the engagement of both the speakers and the audience in the debates, I believe this two-day conference fostered the exchange of information, thereby encouraging international collaboration on influenza A (H1N1).”
- Slide shows and videos, 2nd European meeting of EHESP School of Public Health, September 28th 2009 – Pandemic Influenza: Managing a Global Health Crisis
- Slide shows and videos, 2nd European meeting of EHESP School of Public Health, September 29th 2009 – Gaining Understanding for Better Anticipation: International Research mobilization