Three-day meet on challenges posed by infectious diseases begins at MAHE

A three-day conference on ‘Meeting the challenges of infectious diseases in a changing world’, hosted by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), a deemed to be university, began at Manipal on Wednesday.

It has brought together researchers, clinicians, public health experts, policymakers, and industry representatives from 20 countries to share scientific findings, examine emerging research, and strengthen collaboration on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, a MAHE release said.

The conference addresses critical global health priorities, including emerging and re-emerging pathogens, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pandemic preparedness, disease surveillance, diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccination strategies, and the one health approach.

Speaking at the inauguration session, the Vice-Chancellor of MAHE, Sharath K. Rao, stressed the importance of strengthening global health security in the face of emerging infectious disease threats.

Dr. Rao noted that addressing the challenge of infectious diseases requires collaboration across medicine, pharmacy, engineering, data science, behavioural sciences, and public health policy. Universities have a critical role in fostering interdisciplinary partnerships that translate research into meaningful public health outcomes.