Health minister lauds Texila American University’s Conference for Communicable Diseases as ‘revolutionary’

Texila American University (TAU) held its fourth International Conference for Communicable Diseases, providing a platform for learning and exploring various aspects of infectious diseases while showcasing advancements in healthcare technology and research.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, lauded the conference as ‘revolutionary’ for its contribution to medical students’ education. He highlighted the valuable opportunity it provides for students to delve into research and gain crucial information about communicable diseases and their impact on healthcare.

Communicable diseases are illnesses caused by viruses or bacteria that people spread to each another through contact with contaminated surfaces, bodily fluids, blood products, insect bites, or through the air.

“The conference is providing opportunities for people who want to learn [and] for people who want to do research. So, with more conferences, the persons who are doing research will have the opportunity to present their findings. Earlier, we were talking about getting a journal. So, with that we would also have opportunities to publish facts about these types of diseases,” the health minister said.

Minister Anthony expressed his willingness to learn the conference’s findings and pledged collaboration with the university to further elevate the country’s healthcare standards.

He also highlighted the ministry’s successful implementation of a comprehensive programme to prevent communicable diseases.

“The strength of the ministry has really been in communicable diseases. Over the years that has been pretty much the focus of the ministry. In some cases, we have been able to achieve some successes, but at this point, we don’t want to roll back … what we are looking for is the elimination of some of these diseases,” Minister Anthony explained.

The aim is to eliminate these communicable diseases, including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), among others by 2030. The conference which is themed ‘Communicable Diseases in the Caribbean, Regional Update and Recent Advancement’ started on Tuesday and will end on Wednesday.