MAHE Organizes National Level Infectious Diseases Conference In Alignment With G20 India Health track’s Priority Area Of AMR

Manipal Academy of Higher Education organizes the 4th National Level Infectious Diseases Conference, along with Manipal Center for Infectious Diseases, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education in association with Departments of Medicine, Community Medicine, and Infectious Diseases, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.

This conference was in alignment with the G20 India Health track’s priority areas namely Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness, and Response with a focus on “One Health” and “Antimicrobial resistance.” The conference addressed SDG 3 (Good Health), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 17 (Partnership for Goals)

The Infectious Disease conference was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Dr Rama Subramanian, President of the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society of India and Consultant Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. Dr Sathish Rao, Directorate of Research was the guest of honour. Dr Rama Subramanian highlighted the latest changes in the treatment of tuberculosis including both sensitive and drug-resistant forms of TB. In the era of global travel, Dr Priscilla Rupali, Professor of Infectious Diseases at CMC Vellore talked about illnesses related to travel and their prevention. Dr Neha Mishra Consultant of Infectious Diseases at Manipal Hospital Bangalore focussed on combating infections with Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Dr Rajalakshmi, Consultant Infectious Diseases, KIMSHealth, Trivandrum talked about Infectious Causes of Cancer and their preventive aspects. Dr Kavitha Saravu, Professor and Head of Infectious Diseases at KMC Manipal &MACID Coordinator moderated the interesting case discussions about infections in children with weak immune systems and bacterial and parasitic infections in adults.

TB is the leading infectious cause of death globally, as 24th March is observed as World TB Day In 2021, 10.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.6 million died because of TB. Six countries accounted for 60 percent of the total burden, with India accounting for 27 percent of the global cases. The emergence of severe forms of drug-resistant TB has worsened the situation. Multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) refers to TB that is resistant to rifampicin and isoniazid, two of the most critical first-line antibiotics used to treat TB. MDR-TB is a big concern in some parts of India. Drug resistance usually happens when patients do not complete their full course of treatment; when doctors prescribe inappropriate treatment, the wrong dose, or the length of time for taking the drugs. The theme of World TB Day 2023 is “Yes, We can End TB”. With appropriate use of molecular tests, active screening for TB in vulnerable populations along with prompt treatment with all oral TB medicines, India aims to eliminate TB by 2025.

The conference concluded with an interesting quiz by Dr Praveen Tirlangi and Dr Shivdas Rajaram Naik where 9 teams battled it out. Dr Helmut Brand, Director of Prasanna School of Public Health, and Dr Ram Bhat, Professor of Medicine distributed the prizes at the valedictory function. Dr Sneha Mallya, Associate Professor of Community Medicine proposed the vote of thanks. Dr Cynthia Amrutha, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Dr Eshwari Associate Professor of Community Medicine compered the program.