WIREDGOV

 The Health Protection Agency will showcase an unusually eventful year in health protection in a diverse and wide-ranging programme of presentations, seminars and lectures at its annual conference, 'Health Protection 2010', which is  being held at Warwick University from 14-15 September.

The conference offers a variety of innovative presentations which will demonstrate the latest scientific research and its practical application in three key areas - preventing and reducing infectious diseases, minimising the impact of radiation, chemical and environmental hazards and preparing for potential or emerging threats to health.

Highlights of the two-day programme include sessions on:

• Anthrax in injecting drug users,  oyster-associated norovirus and various examples of E. coli O157 and salmonella outbreaks
• Extreme weather and other natural hazards - how the UK responds
• Reacting to public health emergencies - from volcanic ash to tyre fires

Justin McCracken, HPA's chief executive, said, "The annual health protection conference is the premier event for scientists and healthcare professionals involved in the field of health protection. This year we have a packed programme of presentations from world-leading experts working across the whole health protection spectrum.
"These wide-ranging presentations will provide a valuable insight into the challenges faced by health protection workers over the past year, highlight good practice, present new research and look at innovative approaches for the future. It provides an important opportunity for delegates to broaden their knowledge of issues that are at the forefront of health protection."

Presentations will be given by scientific experts from the Health Protection Agency as well as speakers from other organisations including: NHS Blood and Transplant, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Royal College of General Practitioners, NHS Scotland, Public Health Service Wales, Public Health Service Holland, Oxford University, University College London, and Imperial College London.  

Professor Sir Andy Haines, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will give the keynote Turnberg Lecture on Tuesday 14 September. His lecture will be on 'Climate Change - reducing risks to health in an uncertain future', where he will talk about the range of adverse impacts that climate change could have on human health - including heat-related illness and death, health effects of floods and droughts, air pollution related effects, increases in water-related diseases, vector and rodent borne diseases and malnutrition.

Professor Haines will also discuss how climate change may exacerbate poverty, particularly in less developed countries and this in turn could contribute to deterioration of the health status of populations. He will suggest ways that human societies can adapt to reduce the projected adverse impacts of climate change and adopt strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which will also benefit public health, for example by reducing air pollution or increasing physical activity.

The conference will be attended by well over 1000 specialists, in all fields of health protection. As well as a series of five parallel focused symposia each day, the conference programme also offers workshops, focused half day sessions and an extensive poster exhibition.

A full programme is now available on the conference website, http://www.healthprotectionconference.org.uk, those interested in attending should visit the website for further details.

-ends-

Notes to Editors

1. The Health Protection 2010 conference will be held at Warwick University from 14-15 September. To book a place and for further information, visit www.healthprotectionconference.co.uk or email  hpaconference@hpa.org.uk  Please book early to guarantee your preferred choice of sessions for each day.
2. Journalists are welcome to attend the conference and should call the HPA press office on 020 8327 7750 or email cfipressoffice@hpa.org.uk to register.