Luz Saúde : International Congress on Antibiotic Resistance and Infection Control

International Congress on Antibiotic Resistance and Infection Control

15-03-19

Hospital da Luz Learning Health and Creating Health (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) will organize, on May 24, another edition of the congress on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection. Bacteria resistant to carbapenems and the risk they represent in Europe and Portugal, demanding more efficient responses from health systems and units, are the main topic of this congress.

Infection caused by bacteria resistant to carbapenems (considered a high-end group of antibiotics) poses presently a high risk for health units in Europe, Portugal showing a fast growing evolution in recent years.

These bacteria are generally cause of urinary and blood infections in hospital environment, being associated to long-term internment, failures in treatment and higher mortality. 'Similarly to what happened in 2018 and in previous editions of IACS courses, it will have the intervention of renowned Portuguese and foreigner speakers with large experience in the area', explains Carlos Palos, internist who coordinates the group of infection prevention and control and antibiotic resistance from Grupo Luz Saúde and is one of the organizers of the initiative.

The opening conference of the congress - which will take place in Cardeal Medeiros Auditorium, at Universidade Católica, in Lisbon - will be delivered by professor Barry Cookson (director of the Laboratory of Healthcare Associated Infection - Centre for Infections Health Protections Agency, London), who will review infection control plans applied in the last 30 years in the United Kingdom.

Other topics approached will be the challenges in terms of infection control, diagnosis and therapeutics - the 'Integrated Stewardship' model being presented by Jan Willem Dik (Department of Medical Microbiology, Groningen University, Netherlands) - as well as intervention face to human and environmental reservoirs, including the guidelines from ESCMID-EUCIC on decolonization of Gram negative carbapenem resistant carriers.

There will be, for the first time, a 'Portuguese Innovation Corner', the closing conference being delivered by Pedro Pita Barros and Carolina Santos, on the OCDE report 'Stemming the Superbug Tide - Just a few dollars more' and its implications in Portugal. During lunchtime, there will be four interventions of commercial scientific scope, handled by sponsor companies, Steris and Cepheid being already confirmed.

The congress will be preceded by the workshop 'Endoscope Reprocessing', on May 23, at Hospital da Luz Lisboa auditorium, in a co-organization with Steris Ibérica. And it will be complemented by the workshop 'Accreditation in Infection Control and Antibiotic Stewardship - 2019 Update', on May 25, at Hospital Beatriz Ângelo auditorium.