International Congress of Epidemiology and Public Health: Results and Recommendations/Interview of Prof. Didier Koumavi Ekouevi, President of the Organising Committee

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Extract from the article: From 15 to 16 March 2023, Lomé hosted an international congress on epidemiology and public health under the theme "public health in the face of emerging and re-emerging diseases". This high-level meeting promoted exchanges between epidemiologists and

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« The first lesson learned from this conference... is that we are at the root of our pandemics... the discussions provided evidence that will enable people to adopt better health behaviour.... »

From 15 to 16 March 2023, Lomé hosted an international congress on epidemiology and public health under the theme "public health in the face of emerging and re-emerging diseases". This high-level meeting promoted exchanges between epidemiologists and public health actors, to share their professional experiences, to contribute to the development of public health research and training in epidemiology. Were the objectives of the congress achieved? What are the results and lessons learned? What are the recommendations made to governments? Prof. Didier ekouevI, President of the Organising Committee answers in this interview.

Santé-Education: Were the objectives assigned to the congress achieved?

Prof. Didier Ekouevi: Globally, the objectives assigned to the congress were achieved. We succeeded in bringing together nearly 300 researchers from 21 countries around the world. These researchers were able to exchange on various themes and discuss approaches to solutions to major health issues in the world in general and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. This conference also allowed us to strengthen South-South and North-South partnerships in order to better finance research in our countries. We had very good discussions with public health actors from other West African universities and from Europe. New partnerships will be signed between the University of Lomé and other universities in the field of public health training and research. We had very fruitful exchanges with the National Agency for Research on AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Emerging Infectious Diseases, whose director came to attend this conference. The discussions focused on equitable partnership and participation in innovative research projects. Furthermore, the holding of this conference in Lomé enabled our country to show leadership in research and the organisation of large-scale scientific events. We have thus succeeded in making Lomé the capital of epidemiology and public health for a few days. The pre-conference that took place at the University of Lomé was also a success with more than 215 participants who were trained in medical writing and biostatistics.

What is the value of the papers presented at the Congress?

During this 2-day congress, it is almost impossible to present all the papers. We have therefore made a choice. The plenary lectures were given by invited experts. We had six in total and the oral presentations were selected from the 300 received. In other words, only 10% of the papers received were presented orally. The rest were posters or poster presentations, which allow each researcher to present their research work during defined periods. This is an increasingly popular form of communication at scientific conferences. It also allows for direct discussion with the researchers, regardless of the time limit (10 minutes) for an oral presentation. A total of 199 poster presentations were accepted, mainly on Covid-19, other emerging diseases and epidemiological surveillance, tuberculosis, HIV and malaria, mother and child health and non-communicable diseases. These presentations provided an opportunity to discuss the progress of research in these different areas in order to provide the scientific community with up-to-date information on the fight against these diseases. In addition, researchers were able to share their experiences in order to capitalise on similar research projects and achieve better results. Finally, the discussions provided evidence that will enable people to adopt better health behaviours but also serve policy makers in making decisions to improve the health of the population.

What are the results and lessons learned from the Congress?

The first lesson learned from this congress on emerging diseases is, as Serge Laurent said: « We are at the origin of the manufacture of our pandemics ». In other words, human behaviour impacts our health and encourages the development of new diseases. Secondly, climate change, which is now a major public health issue, is also the fault of human beings through the excessive use of fossil fuels, rampant urbanisation and deforestation.

Antibiotic resistance, defined as the ineffectiveness of antibiotics, will be responsible for more than several million deaths (it will kill more than cancer by 2030) and is mainly due to self-medication, excessive consumption of drugs even in the case of viral diseases, and the sale of counterfeit or street drugs.

We also learned that the re-emergence of malaria and antimicrobial resistance is due to inappropriate behaviour by humans themselves. Finally, non-communicable diseases are on the rise due to the demographic, health and nutritional transition. Obesity among adolescents and young people is a major concern with psychological and health implications.

What are the recommendations to governments?

The recommendations from this congress are addressed to researchers, technical and financial partners and governments. To summarise, we can say that it is a question of developing structuring and innovative research projects, if possible multidisciplinary, seeking innovative financing for research, strengthening health systems through two fundamental axes: universal health coverage and equity in health, strengthening public-private partnerships in research and strengthening the health system. It is also necessary to equip our countries with research centres, training on the « One Heath » concept and clinical research as a whole.

When is the next Congress?

The next congress will take place from 10 to 12 July 2024 in Limoges, France.

Interview by Abel OZIH