Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Meet focus on re-emerging infectious diseases

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The challenges posed by emerging and re-emerging infections like chikungunya will be the focal theme of the 20th Kerala Science Congress beginning here on January 28. Executive vice-president of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) Dr. E.P. Yesodharan and president of the science congress committee R.V.G. Menon told a press conference here on Friday that the deliberations at the four-day event would focus on evolving strategies to combat the crisis caused by infections.

Eminent doctors representing the modern and traditional schools of medicine will present their experiences and ideas to help develop an action plan that can be implemented at the grassroots level.

Expert groups have been constituted to prepare appropriate preventive, promotional, corrective and curative strategies.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan is scheduled to inaugurate the science congress at a function at the University Senate Hall on Monday evening.

He will release the proceedings of the congress and a compendium on the special theme. Mr. Achuthanandan will present the Dr. S.Vasudev award for the best science research project carried out with financial assistance of the KSCSTE.

The technical programmes will take-off on Tuesday with the Professor P.R. Pisharoty memorial lecture by Dr. M.S. Valiathan. This will be followed by a plenary session on the special theme to be chaired by Dr. C.R. Soman.

Invited speakers of the special theme session include Dr. K.R. Leela Itty Amma, head of community medicine, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. V. Ramankutty, Professor, Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, Dr. K.P. Aravindan, Professor of Pathology, Medical College, Kozhikode, Dr. P.M. Sivan Pillai, Professor of Microbiology, Karakonam Medical College, Dr. U.S.N. Murty, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, and Dr. Ram Mohan, former general secretary, Ayurveda Medical Association of India. Professor P. Balaram, Director, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, will deliver the Dr. P.K. Gopalakrishnan memorial lecture while Dr. T. Ramasami, secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, will deliver the P.T. Bhaskara Panikker memorial lecture.

One of the highlights of the science congress is a People’s Science Corner, a platform for people without a formal degree or technical qualification who have developed grassroots innovations, products or services.

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