Biosecurity Challenges for South East Asia

The National Centre for Biosecurity will hold "Biosecurity Challenges for Australia and its Region" at the Australian National University, 11-12 February 2008. Of most interest to me "Communicating with the Public in the Event of a Disease Outbreak", as this is something I have looked at using the web for. Some interesting recent developments in detection are that the Sahana project is considering adding a Bio Surveillance module to its open source disaster management software. This would interface to RODS. Also InSTEDD, a Google funded project to develop disease tracking and disaster response technology, may be of interest.

DAY ONE Monday 11 February 2008

8.30am Registrations open
9am Welcome and introduction
9.30am Session 1.1 Biosecurity: Upgrading the Web of Prevention: A View from the UK. Keynote address by Professor Malcolm Dando
Chair: Bob Wells, Executive Director, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, ANU
10.30am Morning Tea
11am Session 1.2 Laboratories
Chair: Edward Bertram, Head of Scientific Programs, Australian Phenomics Faculty
Establishing an Emerging Infections and Biohazard Response Unit
Names: Greg James, Lyn Gilbert
Organisations: Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Sydney West Area Health Service and University of Sydney
The Application of a Mobile Forensic Laboratory for Real Time Response to CBRNE Incidents in Australia.
Names; Paul Roffey*, Keith Norman and David Royds
Organisation: Australian Federal Police
Third Generation Surveillance Systems: Genomics Assisted Identification and Monitoring Of Biothreats
Names: Vitali Sintchenko,1,2 Jonathan Iredell,1 Lyn Gilbert1
Organisations: 1Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Sydney West Area Health Service and Western Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, 2Centre for Health Informatics, University of New South Wales
Rapid Molecular Fingerprinting of Influenza Viruses
Name: Graeme Barnett
Organisation: Chief Executive Officer, BioChip Innovations Pty Ltd

DISCUSSION
12.30pm Lunch
1.15pm Session 1.3 Global surveillance and response to outbreaks of infectious disease: the Role of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network as the response arm of the new International Health Regulations.
Keynote address by Professor John MacKenzie
Chair: Alan Dupont, Director, Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney
2pm Session 1.4 Science and Technology
Chair: Ian Ramshaw, Director, National Centre for Biosecurity, ANU
Converging Technologies in Biosecurity
Names: Stephen Prowse1 and Greg Tegart2
Organisations’: CEO, Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease, University of Queensland1 and Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University, Melbourne2
Nanotechnology and Australia's Biosecurity Policy
Name: Tom Faunce
Organisation: National Centre for Biosecurity, ANU
Enhancing Cross-Disciplinary Problem-Based Biosecurity Research
Name: Gabriele Bammer
Organisations: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health and National Centre for Biosecurity, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian National University, and Hauser Centre for Non-profit Organizations, Harvard University
DISCUSSION
3.15 Afternoon Tea
3.45 Session 1.4 Law and Ethics
Chair: Michael Selgelid, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, ANU
Regulation of Security-Sensitive Biological Agents in Australia
Name: Letitia Toms and Gary Lum
Organisation: Office of Public Health, Department of Health and Ageing
Regulating the Biosecurity Risks Posed by Veterinary Laboratories
Name: Karinne Ludlow
Organisation: Centre for Regulatory Studies, Faculty of Law, Monash University, Victoria
Codes of Conduct in a Web of Prevention: Questions and Choices
Name: Brian Rappert
Organisation: University of Exeter, UK
DISCUSSION
DAY TWO Tuesday 12 February 2008
9am Registrations open
9.30 Session 2.1 Title TBA
Keynote Address by Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert Senior Adviser on Disease Control Ministry of Public health
Chair: [DFAT]
10.15 Morning tea
10.45 Session 2.2 International Health
Chair: Paul Kelly, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU
A Model for Networked Laboratory Quality Assurance among Regional Countries: the Animal Health Laboratories
Name: Peter Daniels
Organisation: Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria
Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health Surveillance
Name: Lorna Weir and Dr. Eric Mykhalovskiy
Organisation: York University, UK
Global Public Health Security: the Pathway to National Biosecurity
Names: Mahomed Patel
Organisation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU
DISCUSSION
12.15 Lunch
1pm Session 2.3 Pandemic Influenza
Chair: Mahomed Patel, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU
Assessing HPAI Health Risks to Humans along the Market Chain in the Philippines
Name: Benigno, C.A., Toribio, J-A.L.M.L. and Webb, R.
Organisation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney
Governance: Managed Access Provisions for Sharing Influenza Viruses and Related Benefit Sharing and Capacity Building Arrangements
Name: Anna George
Organisation: School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Murdoch University, Western Australia
The Waiting Time for Importation of Pandemic Strain Influenza
Name: Peter Caley*, Niels G. Becker and David J. Philp
Organisation: *National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,
Australian National University
Population Health Intelligence: the Role of Syndromic Surveillance
Names: David Muscatello, Wei Zheng, Tim Churches
Organisation: Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health
DISCUSSION
2.30 Afternoon tea
3pm Session 2.4 Disease Outbreaks and Society
Chair: Christian Enemark, Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney
TBA
Risk Communication for a Possible Pandemic: Lessons from SARS and Other Outbreaks
Name: Claire Hooker Organisation: Centre for Values, Ethics and Law in Medicine, University of Sydney
‘Y2K’ or ‘Watch This Space’: Journalists on Pandemic and Avian Influenza
Names: Julie Leask and Catherine King
Organisation: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, University of Sydney
DISCUSSION
4.15pm Close
POSTERS
In Support of the Zoophyte: Strategic Directions for Cross-Sector Biosecurity Research
Name: John Lovett Organisation: CRC for National Plant Biosecurity
Intelligence-Led Responses to the Challenges of Biosecurity
Name: Richard Jones
Organisation: The Distillery Pty Ltd
Surveillance of the Genomic Pool: Moving beyond the Species
Name: Jonathan Iredell, Sally Partridge, Vitali Sintchenko
Organisations: Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Sydney West Area Health Service and Western Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney; Centre for Health Informatics, University of NSW
The white-powder letter - An unidentified risk
Name: Margaret Head
Organisation: TBA
Vaccines, Communicable Disease and Bioterrorism - Is Australia Prepared?
Name: Nathan Rogers
Organisation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Queensland
The Big Picture in Biosecurity – What Happens When the Pixels Drop Out?
Name: Raymond Chan
Organisation: Dept of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
Communicating with the Public in the Event of a Disease Outbreak.
Name: Patricia Gray
Organisation: National Centre for Biosecurity, ANU
Hosting a Safe and Secure APEC 2007 Forum – Implications for Public Health
Name: Jan Fizzell
Organisation: Centre for Health Protection, NSW Department of Health
Using Bayesian Nets in Biosecurity Decision-Making
Names: Kerrie Mengersen and Peter Whittle
Organisation: Queensland University of Technology, School of Mathematical

From: Biosecurity Challenges facing Australia and its Region Preliminary Program, National Centre for Biosecurity, ANU, 16 January 2008