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Combating disease and promoting health
Peterson Stearns, Beverly
Peterson Stearns, Beverly
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Abstract
"The increasing threats to global health that the world is now experiencing pose particular challenges for developing countries. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are being accompanied, in many developing countries, by rising tides of non-communicable diseases and injuries. Natural disasters, demographic changes and human activities including globalization, climate change, urbanization, wars and conflicts are adding to the list of factors that impact on the health of populations and individuals – especially those that are poor, marginalized and living in countries with weak health and social systems. There are no simple solutions, no magic bullets for the multiple crises in global health that the world now faces. Certainly, new vaccines and drugs for the treatment of infections and the management of chronic diseases have a vital role to play, as do the development of strong health systems that enable access for all to affordable medicines and treatments. But recent experience has shown that these are not enough – they must be accompanied by vigorous efforts to encourage healthy lifestyles, to avoid risks to health and to understand the myriad factors originating outside the health sector that have tremendous influence upon it. In supporting this twin agenda of combating disease and promoting health, research has many vital roles to play. These roles were explored in detail in Forum 10, which brought to Cairo about 550 policymakers, development specialists, research funders and leading practitioners, NGOs, civil society and media representatives from around 75 different countries, for three and a half days of intensive debates, presentations, panel and roundtable discussions and special interest meetings. The engagement between those involved in global efforts to use research to reduce inequities in health with those working at local levels in developing countries provided, as always, a fertile ground for discussion and stimulus to urgent action. As in previous years, the annual meeting of the Global Forum developed its programme through a process of call for abstracts in addition to inviting key speakers. A total of 545 abstracts were submitted, of which 140 were selected for presentation in Cairo. But the meeting is not a scientific conference per se. It brings people who can inspire by their leadership, their research or their actions – as did HE Mme Suzanne Mubarak in her opening address – thus giving positive examples for participants to take back to their own situations and countries. It is not a meeting that can provide all solutions, but is designed to identify the issues, to highlight gaps and pose the questions that further research can solve. It showcases the benefits of research by highlighting best practices and points to the need for additional work – across the broad spectrum of research – for the benefit of the poor and marginalized everywhere."(pg 3)
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Conference proceedings
Date
2007-04
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2940286485
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With permission of the license/copyright holder