Synergy Online -- June 13, 2002

In this issue:
-9TH ANNUAL CANADIAN CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL HEALTH: CALL FOR
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD NOMINATIONS
-TUBERCULOSIS ON THE INCREASE IN EUROPE: CONTROL EFFORTS URGENTLY NEEDED
-2002 WINNERS OF CIDA'S AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
-CANADA INVESTS $88 MILLION TO TRAIN NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH
RESEARCHERS
-PREVENTING SLEEPING SICKNESS WITH TSETSE FLY CONTROL
-ANGOLANS FACE STARVATION
-JOB OPPORTUNITY: REGIONAL ADVISOR, TROPICAL DISEASES AND ZOONOSES, FOR
CAIRO, EGYPT
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9TH ANNUAL CANADIAN CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL HEALTH: CALL FOR
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD NOMINATIONS

The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) is requesting
nominations for the CSIH Lifetime Achievement Award.  The award will be
presented at the Canadian Conference on International Health to be held
in Ottawa, October 27-30, 2002. Inaugurated in 1998, the CSIH award is
presented each year at the conference to an individual who has
contributed tirelessly to international health over a sustained period
of time.  There are many deserving Canadians who have committed a
lifetime to health and development and this award is the only formal
recognition available.

Two generous beneficiaries, Dwight and Barbara Fulford, of Ottawa, are
sponsors, covering the cost of the recipient’s travel and expenses to
the conference.  The first award, in 1998, went to Dr. Pierre Viens, of
Quebec City, for his work with the conference and for his dedication and
energy to CSIH in general and international health specifically.  The
1999 award was presented to Drs. Liz and Dou Hillman.  The 2000 award
went to Dr. Vic Neufeld and the 2001 award to Dr. Sheila Robinson.

If you would like to nominate someone for this year’s award, please
submit the name and supporting background information to CSIH by Friday,
September 13, 2002, at [log in to unmask] or (613) 241-5785 x 313.
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TUBERCULOSIS ON THE INCREASE IN EUROPE: CONTROL EFFORTS URGENTLY NEEDED

European countries have registered rising tuberculosis rates over the
last decade, and the situation in the countries of central and eastern
Europe and the newly independent states (NIS) of the former USSR is
particularly alarming. Effective tuberculosis control is vital. The WHO
Regional Office for Europe and the Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis
Association (KNCV) are calling on the health ministers of the WHO
European Region to make a strong commitment to fighting the disease. The
number of reported tuberculosis patients in Europe rose from 280,000 in
1995 to almost 370,000 in 2000. In 2000, almost 70% of all reported
cases occurred in the NIS, mainly affecting young men, current and
former prison inmates, people with alcohol problems and other socially
disadvantaged people. The breakdown in the health care infrastructure
and the deterioration of living conditions in these countries are to
blame. In western European countries, tuberculosis strikes hardest at
drug-users, elderly people and migrants. Throughout the Region,
HIV-infected people are at special risk of the disease.
For more information, visit:
http://www.who.dk/eprise/main/who/mediacentre/pr/20020606_1.
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2002 WINNERS OF CIDA'S AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

CIDA and its partners, the Association of Canadian Community Colleges
(ACCC) and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
(AUCC), have announced the winners of the 2002 Awards of Excellence for
the best cooperation projects by colleges and universities.  The awards
are presented every two years to Canadian colleges and universities and
their international partners who have demonstrated leadership and
innovation in their sustainable development projects. Among the winners,
Langara College, Vancouver, and the Rural Development Training Centre,
Tanzania, won for the project: “Water Care and Rural Health Training”.
For a full list of this year’s winners, visit:
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/cida_ind.nsf/852562900065549a85256250006cbb1a
/2226b4c7cb7b012685256b1300793a64?OpenDocument.
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CANADA INVESTS $88 MILLION TO TRAIN NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH
RESEARCHERS

The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, and Dr. Alan
Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
(CIHR), have announced $88 million in funding to train Canada's future
health researchers. The announcement was made in Toronto at the BIO 2002
International Biotechnology Convention & Exhibition, the world's largest
biotechnology conference.  The CIHR Strategic Training Initiative in
Health Research will fund 51 innovative transdisciplinary research
projects that will bring together groups of accomplished health mentors
and educators to work collaboratively to train and support research
talent. Twenty of these large-scale projects -- worth nearly $34 million
-- will build upon Canada's strong biotech foundation. A complete list
of the 51 funded projects and backgrounders is available at www.cihr.ca.
For the full press release, visit:
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/news/press_releases/2002/pr-0217_e.shtml.
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PREVENTING SLEEPING SICKNESS WITH TSETSE FLY CONTROL

Four international organizations have called for a more integrated
approach to control the tsetse fly which transmits sleeping sickness to
human beings and causes nagana in livestock. These diseases, found in 37
sub-Saharan countries, threaten 50 million people and 48 million head of
cattle.  Sleeping sickness is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa where tsetse
flies live. Three severe epidemics occurred in the last century. The
first, in 1896-1906, occurred mostly in Uganda and the Congo Basin. The
second, in 1920, affected several African countries, while the third
began in 1970 and is still in progress.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206070705.html
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ANGOLANS FACE STARVATION

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that thousands of Angolans have
died from a catastrophic man-made nutritional crisis. Hundreds of
thousands more face starvation unless the Angolan government and the
United Nations drastically increase their efforts to meet the needs of
the civilian population of the country. Since a ceasefire agreement
April 4, MSF has gained access to populations cut off from humanitarian
assistance for more than three years. It has found levels of severe
malnutrition and mortality far exceeding emergency thresholds and
confirming pockets of famine. The Angolan government and the United
Nations, particularly the World Food Program (WFP) and the Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), have been unacceptably
slow to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of at least half a
million Angolans, according to MSF.  For the full article, visit:
http://www.msf.ca/.
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JOB OPPORTUNITY: REGIONAL ADVISOR, TROPICAL DISEASES AND ZOONOSES, FOR
CAIRO, EGYPT

The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking a Regional Advisor on
Tropical Diseases and Zoonoses for its station in Cairo, Egypt.  As the
focal point for the Region's Tropical Diseases and Zoonoses Program, the
successful candidate will be responsible for planning, implementing and
monitoring the Regional Tropical Diseases and Zoonoses program. This
includes research and training aspects related to these and other types
of diseases, strengthening of intersectorial cooperation and national
reference centres, improving surveillance system and laboratory
services, and preparation of manuals and guidelines.  The closing date
for applications is July 19, 2002. For full details, visit:
http://www.who.int/per/vacancies/pem02_005e.htm.
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