The 15th Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition (ASCODD) began in Dhaka. Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the conference on Tuesday as the chief guest at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
The conference focused on the latest developments in vaccines and issues in enteric infections, nutrition, policy and practice. This year’s theme is “Typhoid, cholera, other enteric diseases and their relationship to nutritional disorders: Persisting challenges for low and middle-income countries in an era of humanitarian crisis”. Over 450 researchers, healthcare professionals, vaccinologists, nutrition experts and policymakers from 18 countries are participating in the conference to share their knowledges and expertises.
The event being organised by International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) and supported by the Government of Bangladesh, the World Health Organisation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Zahid Maleque said the discussion and the findings of the conference will immensely help to control the major health problems of the country and to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. Dr Firdausi Qadri, senior scientist of Enteric and Respiratory Infections at ICDDR,B and the President of the ASCODD delivered the welcome speech while former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research Professor Nirmal K Ganguly discussed about the background of ASCODD.
Executive Director of ICDDR,B Dr John Clemens, Prof of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden Dr Jan Holmgren and Director General for Health Services Prof Abul Kalam Azad, among others, also spoke in the opening session. Scientists and experts from the world’s leading research institutions, representatives from the World Health Organisation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as sponsors are also attending the conference.
