Conference sheds light on emerging tropical and infectious diseases

May 14, 2018

The Texas A&M Coastal Bend Health Education Center hosted its annual Tropical & Infectious Diseases Conference in late April to offer the latest information on common and uncommon infectious diseases, as well as updates on tropical medicine practices and emerging viral illnesses that are becoming increasingly likely to be found in health care facilities across the United States.

“There is a great variety of infectious disease in the Coastal Bend,” said Jaime Fergie, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FSHEA, the conference’s course director. “Our main goal for this conference is to have better patient care by giving health care providers in-depth knowledge on diagnosing and managing infectious diseases.”

As medical professionals grapple with an onslaught of infectious diseases, such as the unusually vaccine-resistant strain of influenza encountered earlier this year, mounting evidence is encouraging them to break the habit of shrugging off seemingly common symptoms and the ubiquitous adage, “It’s just a virus.”

About 90 medical professionals, ranging from physicians to pharmacists, attended the conference to receive up-to-date training from renowned researchers and experts on various diseases, such as Kawasaki disease, parechoviruses, phage therapy and influenza.

“We have a group of incredibly respected researchers and world-renowned experts here to teach about these diseases,” said Fergie.

-Les Cockrell