APCRI National Conference, 2009
4th and 5th July, 2009, Thiruvananthapuram
Download APCRICON 2009 Souvenir (pdf)
Rabies is an acute viral disease which causes fatal encephalomyelitis in virtually all warm blood animals including man. Intra muscular route has been the most commonly used route of administration of rabies vaccination in India. The use of Intra Dermal route of administration of rabies vaccination was approved by DCGI in 2006. The success of IDRV implementation in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka set the ground for adoption of the same in the State of Kerala. Following which IDRV was launched in Kerala in February 2009. The Kerala model of implementation of IDRV has set an example of an ongoing successful partnership with the Government. IDRV as of current has become operational in eight centres and plans to be scaled up to 236 institutions, both primary and tertiary.
In this context, the 11th National Conference of the Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in India (APCRI) was held on 4th and 5th July, 2009 at Taj Residency, Thiruvananthapuram, focusing on the implementation of IDRV in the country. The theme of the conference, ‘Intra Dermal Rabies Vaccination – The Challenges Ahead’ is a significant contribution towards achieving the goal of a Rabies Free Kerala by 2015 and India by 2020. The Honourable Health Minister of the State, Smt. P. K. Sreemathi Teacher inaugurated the conference by lighting the lamp. The honourable minister delivered an encouraging and supportive inaugural speech. Dr.Usha Titus, Secretary Health and Medical Education delivered the keynote address. Dr. Dinesh Arora IAS, SMD, NRHM & MD KMSCL and Dr. Vishwas Mehta, Secretary H&FW were the chief guests of the conference. The release of Souvenir 2009 and APCRI journal was done by the Honourable Health Minister of the State, Smt. P. K. Sreemathi Teacher and Dr. Usha Titus, Secretary Health and Medical Education during the inaugural function. In the welcome speech Dr.G.Sampath highlighted the commitment of Government of Kerala and appreciated the efforts put by the State to achieve a Rabies free Kerala by 2015.
The Louis Pasteur oration presented by Dr.Veena Mittal, Joint director & Head, Zoonosis Division and Head, WHO Collaborating Centre for Rabies Epidemiology, highlighted the burning issues in rabies control in India. The scientific sessions were not restricted to IDRV but it extended to a broader spectrum of rabies prevention and control. The participation of delegates from different sectors including public health, corporates and organizations working in the field of rabies prevention, has brought an integrated approach in IDRV. Dr. Deborah J.Briggs, Executive Director, Alliance for Rabies Control, France; Dr. Christophe Python, Crucell Diagnostics, Switzerland; Dr. Claudius Malerczyk, Head – Medical Affairs, Middle East and Africa, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Germany; Dr. Michael Royals, CSO, PharmaJet, USA and Dr.Omala Wimalaratne, Head, Dept of Rabies and Vaccines, Medical Research Institute, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka were the international delegates who shared the global approach on Rabies control. It was a delight to have Dr M.K Sudarshan, Dr M.S Madhusudhana, Dr R.L Icchpujani, Dr Veena Mittal are other experts who have abundant experience in this field, from India to share their valuable experiences through their presentation at the conference. Creation of awareness among doctors on dosage of vaccine; awareness generation among school children (as they contribute to about 1/3 of dog bite victims) and initiatives to decrease the IDRV drop out rates, were the major issues stressed at the conference. The conference created an ideal platform for all the stakeholders, both national and international delegates to coordinate and plan strategies to achieve the goal ahead. All the speakers and chairpersons were honoured by the unique “Aranmula kannadi” as momento.
Towards the end of the first day, the execute body meeting was held. Following this, the election of the office bearers for the year was conducted. Dr Sairu Philip was the returning officer for the election. The new office bearers were elected by a smooth and friendly contest. The newly elected office bearers include,
Dr. G Sampath, President.
Dr. Bankim. B. Patnaik, Vice president.
Dr. Sumit Poddar, Vice president.
Dr. Thomas Mathew, Secretary General
Dr. V. Sreenivasa Rao, Treasurer.
This was followed by an enchanting musical evening and the gala dinner. Dr Vishwas Mehta IAS added to the flavour of this evening by his wonderful, soft, melodic voice.
This conference has been materialised by the synergistic support from the dedicated members of APCRI with their academic inputs and advocacy, the administrative support from the Department of Health, Government of Kerala and the artistic strategies actualized by SDCMC and HLFPPT team. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Zydus, Novartis, Bharat Serums and Vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur, Bharat Biotech, ACE Pharmaceuticals, Med Life, Human Biologicals Institute, Kinfra and HLL Lifecare Limited for their whole hearted support for this conference.
Let us work together to make our dream of rabies free Kerala by 2015 and rabies free India by 2020.
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