MedTrop 2018 seeks advances and solutions for major tropical diseases afflicting Brazil and the Americas

Participants from the most diverse fields will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and discoveries, besides updating in scientific fields

This year, the 54th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine (MedTrop) returns to Recife, the city that hosted it in 2009, in what is considered the largest edition of all. The 2018 edition aims to discuss not only the ongoing studies to better understand the old and new diseases, but also the new tools and strategies that can improve surveillance and control to protect the population from these important public health problems.

This years highlights are arboviral diseases, but the program goes beyond, it is quite wide and covers the major topics of Tropical Medicine and incorporates new relevant issues in transimittable diseases and public health.

To learn more about the 54th edition of MedTrop, the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine (SBMT) communication advisory spoke to the Chair of the Congress, Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho. Find the full interview below:

SBMT: The theme of the 2018 Medtrop is Communicable diseases, prediction and challenges for coping with new and old epidemics. Can you tell us the reason for choosing this theme?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: The country has witnessed the emergence of new epidemics in the recent years, such as Zika, aggravated by the association to microcephaly, the recurrence of malaria and wild yellow fever, including the threat of reurbanizationof diseases after 80 years, and most recently, reports of autochthonous transmission of West Nile fever in horses in Espírito Santo. That is, we should not restrain the discussions on ongoing studies to better understand these old and new diseases, but also approach new tools and strategies that can improve surveillance and control in order to protect the population from these important public health problems.

SBMT: Which other themes do you think will be highlighted?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: This years highlights are arboviral diseases, but the program goes beyond, it is quite wide and covers the major topics of Tropical Medicine and incorporates new relevant issues in transimittable diseases and public health.

SBMT: Can you tell us a little about the event?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: We will have 42 round tables, 21 lectures or mini-conferences and 11 lectures, as well as mini-courses, workshops and the neglected diseases forum that will be held in the pre-congress period, and on the September1 and 2, the special program of the four satellite events that will take place simultaneously to MedTrop 2018: the ChagasLeish applied applied meeting, the malaria research meeting, the REDE-TB Workshop and Entomol7/SOVE Brazil meeting.

SBTM: Has it been hard to organize an event of this magnitude in times of crisis?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: It has surely been, but the experience acquired from the 2009 MedTrop edition and the 2013 WorldLeish 5 has been of great aid.

SBMT: How are the final arrangements for the 2018 MedTrop?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: On June 11 we released our final program and we are currently increasing the disclosurein all media; we already have a large number of registerations.

SBMT: Would you like to advance the number of participants so far?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: We are already have almost 2 thousand registrations.

SBTM: When you took office at the BSTM board, in an interview, we highlighted your experience promoting scientific events, including international events, such as the fist National Workshop on Leishmaniasis (Recife, 1993), workshops on Molecular Biology and Control of Vectors of Tropical Diseases, in Recife in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016, the 45th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine in 2009 in Recife, where you were Chair and the WorldLeish 5, the Fifth World Congress on Leishmaniasis, that you coordinated the Organizing Committee. Missing less than three months for the MedTrop, what are your expectations?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: Despite the countrys economic crisis, we have the most optimistic expectations and hope to have over 3 thousand participans.

SBTM: Would you like to add a final message?

Dr. Sinval Pinto Brandão Filho: We count on the presence of our associates and our audience that traditionally have and expressive presence in our congress.…