Tuesday, September 16th
9:30am - 4:00pm
Milwaukee County Zoo
Peck Welcome Center
World Rabies Day is an international initiative to raise awareness of a fatal but neglected disease and advance its prevention and control. In support of these efforts, the Milwaukee County Zoo, in association with a network of partners, will host the 2008 Wisconsin World Rabies Day Symposium.
A diverse panel of speakers, drawn from veterinary and human medicine, public health, and wildlife management, will present a comprehensive program reflecting the collaborative spirit of the phrase:
Rabies continues to claim more than 55,000 human lives each year. Despite the development of safe and effective biologics, rabies remains the most important and devastating viral zoonosis worldwide. Uncontrolled dogs - mostly in Africa and Asia - are the main source of disease. In North America, rabies is primarily a wildlife issue and human cases are very rare. Still, pet vaccination and community education remain an important part of our continuing public health.
While presenting a global overview of rabies epidemiology, the meeting will focus on issues of practical importance to regional professionals including:
• Vaccination protocols
• Submission of animal specimens
• Exposure management
• Foreign travel risks
• Local bat ecology
• Wildlife safety
Additionally, the implications of Wisconsin's unique rabies survivor and the development of the "Milwaukee Protocol" for human case treatment will be discussed.
One World - One Health
Finally, rabies will be examined in the wider context of emerging infectious diseases. The growing links between humans, domestic animals, and wildlife continue to drive disease emergence. Successful strategies of surveillance, prevention, and control deployed in the management of rabies may serve as a model for an effective interdisciplinary response to the evolving challenges of promoting global health and preserving biodiversity.
Speaker panel:
• James Kazmierczak, DVM , MS
State Public Health Veterinarian
Wisconsin Division of Public Health
• Robert E. Dedmon, MD MPH FACP FACOEM
Theda Clark Medical Center, Neenah WI
Clinical Professor Population Health-Public Health
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
• Laura L. Radke, MD
Executive Director
Passport Health of Southeast Wisconsin
• David Campbell
Environmental and Disease Control Specialist
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Disease Control and Environmental Health Services
• Rodney Willoughby, MD
Infectious Disease Specialist
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Medical College of Wisconsin
• Scott Diehl
Manager, Wisconsin Humane Society,
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Thomas Yuill, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Pathobiological Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Mike Frayer
Zookeeper - Bat Specialist
Milwaukee County Zoo
This meeting is free for pre-registered participants.
For registration and further info. please send an email with "register" in the subject box and your name and affiliation in the text to: !Please, turn on JavaScript or go to the contact us page! or call (414) 412-1564
