One Day Symposium 11 July 2012

Infection Spread: Will breathing kill you?

Summary

The uncertain role of the airborne route in outbreaks of several infectious diseases has been brought into sharp focus in recent years.  Multi-disciplinary research teams have redoubled their efforts in this area, with a specific focus on transmission of seasonal and pandemic influenza, among other potentially airborne pathogens.  This work has advanced the state of the science, but many unanswered questions still remain.

This symposium will address infection spread in a diverse range of indoor environments including health care facilities, commercial buildings, transport (planes, buses, trains and cars) and schools.  Emerging pathogens and bio-terrorism and their potential for transmission indoors will be discussed.  Control strategies and methods with which to design solutions will be a key theme of the discussion.

The symposium will bring together key stakeholders and will be an opportunity to hear from local and international experts.  Attendees will be able to engage in discussions, and contribute to identifying future directions in the research and practice of indoor infection control.  This will also be an ideal opportunity for inter-disciplinary networking.

Target audience: Clinicians, public, environmental and occupational health professionals, infection control practitioners, regulators, building and facility managers, consultants, architects, ventilation engineers, academics.

Program of the Symposium

The program will have a strong international component, but will also incorporate issues of local and regional relevance. It will include plenary presentations, interactive workshops, submitted paper sessions, and poster sessions. The workshops will be led by panels of top practitioners and academics in this broad field.

Tentative Program

Plenary #1:   Professor Clive Beggs, PhD, CEng, FIMechE, FSB, FRSM
University of Bradford, UK

Plenary #2:   A/Professor Raymond Tellier, MD, MSc, FRCPC, CSPQ, FCCM, D(ABMM)
University of Calgary / Medical Microbiologist, Provincial Laboratory for Public Health, Canada

Convenor of the Symposium: Professor Keith Grimwood, Director of the Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute.