Colloquium mission

We are pleased to invite you to the Joint Colloquium on zoonoses and neglected infectious diseases of Africa which will be held from 1 – 4 November 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The goal of the colloquium is to review current disease knowledge at the interface of human and animal health, and to provide information needed to more effectively manage such zoonoses and neglected infectious diseases at national, regional and global levels. The outcomes include identification of future research directions, to stimulate intra- and intersectoral collaboration and making recommendations on policy and organisational changes, using the underlying science to inform and drive the process.
 

Colloquium aims

The main objectives of the colloquium are:

• To raise awareness of the public-health importance and the intriguing scientific features of neglected tropical diseases of Africa.
• To raise and focus awareness on regional research expertise in this field.
• To promote exchange of knowledge and expertise between research groups.
• To promote participation of African early-career researchers through travel grants.
• To evaluate how research efforts can be integrated and how to obtain resources from the world-wide fight against zoonoses and neglected diseases.

The two-day colloquium will consist of four sessions, each with a specific focus. Sessions will kick off with a keynote presentation, highlighting the issues and challenges at hand.

A mix of plenary and parallel break-out discussions will ensure room for debate on many key issues relevant to the control of zoonoses and neglected infectious diseases of Africa. The colloquium wishes to provide a broad cross-disciplinary perspective and will work toward a synthesis of key issues and ways forward.