Report on the 7^th World Congress of the World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases

The executive committee of the Asian Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the WSPID 2011

The 7^th World Congress of the World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID) was held at Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre, Melbourne , Australia from November 16-19, 2011 with 1,700 participants from over 90 countries.

The opening ceremony took place on the evening of 16^th November, 2011 with a greeting and welcome by Dr. Shabir Madhi, President of the WSPID; Dr. Andrew Pollard, Chairperson of the international scientific committee; Dr. David Isaacs Chairperson of the local organizing committee followed by the Australian girls’ choir.

The scientific program started in the morning of the 16^th November, 2011 and went on until the 19^th November, 2011 .  Four hundred and fifty two abstracts were submitted, some were selected for oral poster presentation. At the closing, awards were given to the best poster and the best photography competition followed by indigenous dancers and didgeridoo.

The scientific program included vaccines, respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, antibiotic resistance, emerging infections, viral infections in children – evidence based management, serious infections in children, group A streptococcal infections, dengue. Kawasaki disease, molecular approaches to diagnosis in host and bug, neonatal infections. Educational workshop for fellows, the regional societies symposia from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and Latin America,  consensus symposia on the diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal infections in children and neonates and pediatric UTI - management and prevention in 2011, the world lecture on immunity to influenza and the following 9 meet the professor sessions: tuberculosis, how to write a paper, otitis media, meningitis, pediatric HIV, infection control, gastroenteritis, rapid diagnostic/point of care diagnosis, vaccine safety.

The 7^th World Congress of the WSPID  brought together members of national and regional societies in pediatric infectious diseases worldwide in exchanging ideas, sharing new methods of prevention and treatment and breakthroughs, most of all it creates the worldwide partnerships that can cross borders not only to specialists, practitioners, researchers and scientists, but also to the patients as well.

The next  World Congress of the WSPID will be held in Cape town , South Africa in 2013.

Professor Usa Thisyakorn, M.D.

President, International Society of Tropical Pediatrics

President,  Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of Thailand

Secretary General, Asian Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases