The 1st Asia-Pacific Influenza Summit took place in Bangkok on 13 June 2012. Over 200 delegates from 31 countries attended the meeting.
The summit was preceded by a welcome dinner on Tuesday 12 of June 2012.
Summit Welcome Dinner
The evening opened with a welcome address by APACI chairman, A/Prof Lance Jennings, where he reflected upon the significance of the summit, and outlined the course of events over the coming days.
Professor Jennings also thanked the Influenza Foundation of Thailand and the Department of Disease Control in Thailand for their partnership in the inaugural summit meeting. He also thanked the IFPMA for their financial contribution to the event.
This was followed with a speech by Prof Prasert Thongcharoen, Chairman of the Influenza Foundation of Thailand (IFT), who spoke about the history of the IFT, and the important role it had to play in the progress of influenza control in Thailand.
Dr Porntep Siriwanarangsun, Director General of the Department of Disease Control gave an encouraging speech, ending with a toast to the future success of the summit, and of the summit movement in the Asis-Pacific region.
Dr Litjen Tan, Director of Medicine and Public Health with the American Medical Association, presented a history of the Influenza Summit movement since it’s inception. A copy of his presentation can be found here. Litjen Tan
The keynote speaker for the evening was Dr Cornelia Betsch from the University of Erfurt, Germany. Her topic was “communicating risk around influenza vaccination”. A copy of her presentation can be downlaoded here. Cornelia Betsch
Influenza Summit, Wednesday 13 June 2012
The full program for both the dinner and the summit is available above for download.
Below is a list of the speakers, including those who have offered their presentation as a download.
Dr Supamit Chunsuttiwat
Senior Expert on Preventive Medicine, Dept. of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.
Influenza vaccine policies and guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr Alan Hampson
Chairman of the Australian Influenza Specialist Group.
Chair of Session 1: Policy discussion.
Prof Hitoshi Oshitani
Department of Virology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
WHO Seasonal Influenza Vaccine recommendations review of vaccine coverage.
Dr John Tam
Global Influenza Programme, WHO.
Evidence gaps for informing policy development: burden of disease in the AP region.
Prof Woo Joo Kim
Chairman of Transgovernmental Enterprise of Pandemic Influenza in Korea (TEPIK). Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Dept of Internal Medicine, Korea University, Guro Hospital, Korea.
Evidence gaps for informing policy development: duration of protection.
Dr Bram Palache
On behalf of IFPMA Influenza Vaccine Supply (IVS) International Task Force.
Critical success factors in vaccine uptake.
Clinical Professor David Smith
APACI Director.
PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA, Australia.
Chair of Session 2: Priority Groups Discussion
Dr Janet McElhaney
Professor, University of British Columbia, USA.
The elderly.
Dr Allison McGeer
Director, Infection Control, Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada
High risk chronic disease
Dr Wonchat Subhachaturas
President, World Medical Association
Healthcare workers
Dr Elizabeth McCarthy
Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Australia.
Pregnant Women
Assoc Prof Dr Tawee
Chotipitayasunondh Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health.
Children
Dr Angus Thomson
Vaccination Advocacy Director Sanofi Pasteur
Putting the public back in public health: rewriting the vaccination social contract by digitally empowering immunization experts.
Dr Nobuhiko Okabe
Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health,Kanagawa Japan
Influenza Surveillance and Vaccine in Japan