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<< back to the 2002 archive listing << Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Thoughts from the President . . . Timing is Everything We need to be informed about clinical, epidemiological, current
research, and prevention strategies The American Academy of Microbiology recently released a report entitled: Resolving the Global Burden of Gastrointestinal Illness: A Call to Action (available at http://www.asmusa.org/acasrc/academy.htm). The report presents the conclusions of 24 international scientists with expertise in microbiology, infectious diseases, water safety, pollution and public health. It states, “In the next 15 seconds, a child somewhere in the world will die from diarrheal disease. Globally, it is estimated that between 6 to 60 billion cases of gastrointestinal illness occur annually”. The document highlights the current state of knowledge and appropriate future directions for the clinical work, research, education, disease prevention, and communication. It is not a lengthy document, only 25 pages, but it provides an excellent summary of where we are now, and where we need to go. An important underlying message is that the magnitude of the social and economic burden of food and waterborne gastrointestinal diseases is not fully recognized by a majority of the population, including policy makers. The perspective of the contributors to the report was very much a broad, global view, recognizing that the same types of problems exist in all countries, both developed and developing, although clearly differing in the extent of the problems. The recommendations from the report address issues that IAFP Members are familiar with including: developing standardized definitions for the relevant parameters of gastrointestinal disease; the need for interdisciplinary research; coordination of research funding programs among agencies responsible for different segments of the food chain, water quality, and human disease; validation of intervention techniques such as educational methods and hygiene measures used in efforts to control gastrointestinal disease; quantify exposure routes and health effects; a better understanding of host factors and the dose-response relationship for enteric pathogens; implementing basic sanitation and preventative strategies; communicating research findings to health professionals and public health organizations; and general communication and education in gastrointestinal disease issues for policy makers and the general population. A final recommendation was for the education and training of scientists. Although interdisciplinary research is recognized as critical, the current education system fails to provide this type of environment for students. It was noted that there is also a need for interdisciplinary communication training to help individuals in different fields of specialization exchange information and work together effectively. In my perspective, these are all goals that our Association strives to achieve. It can be seen in the scope of our journal and the information presented during the workshops, symposia and technical sessions at our Annual Meeting. The battle against food and waterborne diseases requires many different types of “intelligence”, that is, information, and many different types of weapons used in concert at all points from production to consumer, including the environment. We need to be informed about clinical, epidemiological, current research, and prevention strategies, regardless of our specialization, and we need to educate and communicate about our own work! I hope then that you have abstracts written up for submission, and that you have next year’s meeting in New Orleans, August 10 – 13, marked on your calendar! (For some of us in the northern climes, at this time of year, it’s nice just thinking about New Orleans!) I especially encourage our young scientists to take advantage of the just-right size of the meeting and the informal atmosphere to present their work and discuss with colleagues. And, all students are encouraged to submit their paper for the Developing Scientist Competitions. As the year draws to a close, I would just like to say “May the best of 2002 be the worst of 2003”… for all of us! |