Infectious Diseases and HIV Conference

These are a group of illnesses mainly found in the tropical and subtropical regions that generally have warm climates, high humidity, and improper sanitation.

These diseases can considerably devastate public health, especially in low- and middle-income settings where healthcare resources and facilities are limited. Among the commonly found diseases are malaria, dengue fever, Zika virus, yellow fever, schistosomiasis, and leishmaniasis.

Many of the tropical diseases are vector-borne, that is caused by organisms such as mosquitoes, ticks, or sandflies, which carry the pathogens. Malaria, caused by the Plasmodium parasite, spread by infected bites from the mosquitoes of the family Anopheles, dengue fever, and Zika virus, spread by infected bites from a mosquito of the genus Aedes, amongst others, thrive in urban areas and are closely tied to stagnant water.

The difficulty of controlling the above diseases arises from the fact that the above diseases have their transmission dynamics affected by climate, human behavior, and urbanization. Symptoms of tropical infectious diseases can be mild or severe, depending on the causative agent and host immunity.

For instance, malaria is characterized by fever, chills, and flu-like symptoms, whereas dengue presents with acute headache, joint and muscle pain, and hemorrhagic manifestations.

Therefore, effective treatment is necessary because delays could lead to complications and increased mortality. In prevention, the majority of interventions are vaccination, control measures of vectors such as providing insecticide treated bed nets and environmental management, and public health education.

The development of vaccines exists only for some, such as yellow fever and typhoid fever, while others, like malaria, are still in the stage of development. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment should be put more emphasis on in order to reduce morbidity and mortality brought about by these infections.

This session would focus on the causes, transmission, and clinical manifestations of tropical infectious diseases and what is currently being offered in terms of treatment.

This would be important to discuss how managing endemic diseases in tropical countries presents the challenge in preventing and controlling and offering measures toward global health initiatives for reducing disease burden.