Specialists in infectious disease and global health convene at Philadelph...( Nearly 2500 physicians and scientist...)

Nearly 2,500 physicians and scientists from institutions around the world such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health will meet at the 56th American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygienes Annual Meeting on Nov. 4-8, in Philadelphia to discuss the latest research on infectious diseases and bioterrorist and global health threats.

Highlights include:

• Threats to the U.S. Blood Supply: Chagas and Dengue fever, two fatal diseases, are seen to be potential threats to the U.S. blood supply due to a lack of screening and proper diagnosis of these diseases. With a higher immigrant population and more business and recreational travelers visiting infected areas, diseases that once never reached U.S. borders are now an imminent reality. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and the American Red Cross will elaborate on this national concern.

• NASA Technology Used to Prevent Ebola and Malaria: Researchers have been monitoring the earths climate in an effort to track deadly outbreaks of malaria and Ebola viruses using NASA satellite imagery. Climate changes can indicate where outbreaks are likely to happen, so effective monitoring can help prepare for these potential health threats. Researchers from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and Columbia University will present research on the monitoring systems and the concerns scientists have about infectious diseases, such as Ebola, being used as bioterrorism agents.

• Economic Impact and Financial Burden of Infectious Diseases: Why prevention is more cost effective than treatment: Representatives from the American Red Cross and Brandeis University will present results from the first multi-country analysis of Dengue fever, which reveals a substantial epidemiological, social and economic burden associated with the disease. Researchers believe that dengue is grossly underreported
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