News

Basic public health measures are just as important as high-tech care

(28 April 2005)

Even in a time of high technology health care solutions, basic public health measures such as clean drinking water, sanitation and hygienic living conditions are just as important.

That was one of the main messages to emerge from a major conference on public health at Durham University when a panel of internationally-renowned experts discussed the importance of research to tackle some of the world’s most infectious diseases in partnership with the NHS.

Professor Pali Hungin, Dean of Medicine and Head of the School of Health at Durham University, said the conference, which was attended by over 70 health professionals, including specialist consultants, nurses and anthropologists, emphasised the importance of the collaboration between research and health care practitioners in controlling diseases such and CJD and malaria.

He said : “A feature of the conference discussions was how research at a laboratory level links up with patient care, and how, even in a time of high technology, basis public health measures are just as important in the control and management of infectious diseases.”

Professor Mike Bramble consultant gastroenterologist at the James Cook University Hospital discussed the latest thinking on Variant CJD and the scale of the threat.

On of the leading experts on tropical medicine and diseases Professor Eldryd Parry of the Tropical Health and Education Trust talks about his experience and research in various parts of the world.

Disease ecologist Professor Steve Lindsay of the University of Durham is leading research into the control of malaria and has conducted extensive field research in Africa and Asia in the field of vector-borne diseases.

Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, Vice Chancellor of the University of Durham, who was formerly Chief Medical Officer for Scotland and then Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health in London, examined the way in which health risks are perceived and managed.

One of the main conclusions of the conference was although ambitious targets have been set by the international community for dealing with malaria and other serious problems throughout the world these are essentially dependent upon an improvement in living conditions - much can be effectively done through simple measures, many of which have been neglected over the last few decades because of the lack of basic infrastructure in poorer countries.

Such measures include better drainage to reduce the risk of mosquito proliferation. “Engineers and drainage workers are still as important as laboratory scientists for such diseases,” said Professor Hungin.

ends

For further information contact: Professor Pali Hungin, Dean of Medicine and Head of the School for Health, University of Durham. Tel. 0191 334 0375

Media enquiries to: Tom Fennelly, Public Relations, University of Durham, Tel. 0191 334 6078, e-mail : t.p.fennelly@durham.ac.uk