Against a backdrop of the resurgence of poliomyelitis and cholera as well as the persistence of seasonal malaria and maternal mortality, amongst others, over 300 experts and participants will meet in Yaounde from 4 to 6 June 2014 for the Third Conference of the African Epidemiological Association, under the patronage of Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health.

The conference will hold on the theme, “Practice of Epidemiology in Africa: Stakes, Challenges and Perspectives” in the presence of guests of honour such as the President of the International Epidemiology Association (IEA), César Victora.

Health issues to be treated will include mother and child health, communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as public health surveillance, among others.

Edifying pressmen in Yaounde last Wednesday, May 28, the members of the organising committee led by the President of the Cameroon Society of Epidemiology (CaSE), Armand Séraphin Nkwescheu, explained that all was set for the smooth running of the conference which will be preceded by a pre-conference course from June 2 to 3 in Yaounde.

Moreover, Armand Séraphin Nkwescheu qualified epidemiology as an academic scientific discipline which though not being a branch of medicine contributes to the latter by studying the risk factors and events that determine health phenomena affecting the human population.

“This conference will enable CaSE to strengthen its implication in the domains of surveillance of diseases, epidemics and other current health phenomena as well as emerging and resurging infections which could affect the population and affect their health,” he said.

The event will also be marked by the first Conference of the Cameroonian Society of Epidemiology that was created in August 3, 2012 to give value to epidemiology in Cameroon as a scientific discipline that participates in improving healthcare of population.

Prof. Rose Leke is the President of CaSE’s Scientific Committee