U.S. Disease Detectives to Discuss MERS

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At an annual meeting of over 1,000 disease detectives and epidemiologists from around the country, public health experts will discuss the emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The breakout session, taking place Wednesday, June 25 from 2 PM to 3:30 PM, will discuss how the disease was detected, how it is transmitted, and how state and local public health departments can prepare for possible cases.

MERS is a viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Over 175 cases from 11 countries have been reported to the World Health Organization, including two in the U.S. Although person-to-person transmission is taking place, public health epidemiologists and laboratorians are prepared to detect and investigate cases and control the disease's spread. The conference session will focus on updates on MERS and how to respond to potential cases using public health guidance and tools.

The conference is the annual meeting of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), a national association of public health disease detectives. The job of an epidemiologist is to understand what causes people to get sick and to find ways to reduce illness, injury and death from preventable causes. CSTE members are devoted to detecting patterns in occurrence of illness and injury, meticulously analyzing clues, and applying findings to solve medical mysteries and inform decisions that protect people's health. The Annual Conference offers the opportunity for attendees to share research, broaden their knowledge, and improve the public's health. The conference will feature plenary and breakout sessions on current public health issues as well as roundtable discussions and poster presentations. Session topics include substance abuse, health disparities, climate change, healthcare-associated infections, foodborne disease outbreak response, and more.

Agenda information, including speaker biographies, is available at www.csteconference.org.

SOURCE Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED