Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to warmly invite you to attend the 9th World Melioidosis Congress (WMC), which will be held in Hanoi from October 15th to 18th, 2019. The venue for the congress is the Sheraton hotel located in the West lake of Hanoi, a historical capital with the richest traditions and cultural heritages in Vietnam. WMC is the biggest event held once every three years to bring together the international melioidosis research community from different parts of the world.
The congress is co-organized by the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria. The organization of the congress is also strongly supported by many healthcare professionals from Vietnamese medical universities and hospitals administered directly by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health.
Under the theme “Local Action through Global Knowledge” this congress is a great chance not only to share up-to-date knowledge on all important aspects of melioidosis, but also to strongly encourage local management and prevention of the disease in Vietnam. Although melioidosis was recognized in Vietnam almost a century ago, the disease was largely forgotten over the last decades. However, recent research activities revealed a significant number of melioidosis cases in parts of the country. To further strengthen this progress our program will include sessions with translation into Vietnamese to encourage many Vietnamese health care professionals to attend the WMC. In those sessions special attention will be given on melioidosis mimicking diseases and major risk factors.
The 9th WMC will also include a pre-congress workshop held on October 14th & 15th, 2019. The workshop will also be useful to clinical laboratory staff to get hands on experience in basic and advanced laboratory techniques applied in the diagnosis of melioidosis.
The 9th WMC is the time to meet old and new friends in the autumn season of Hanoi. Moreover, it will be a chance for you to explore a country with diverse cultures and beautiful landscapes along the coastal regions as well as in the delta, plateau and mountain areas.
By hosting this big event in Hanoi, we hope that the exchange with scientists from different parts of the world will also facilitate policy-making processes aiming to reduce the disease burden in the country. Therefore, we greatly appreciate your attendance and contribution to the success of the 9th WMC.
We are looking forward to welcome you in Hanoi 2019.
Kind regards,
Chairpersons, 9th WMC Organizing Committee