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Joint Communique: U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program Conference on Emerging Diseases Released by the Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, July 28, 1996.

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The U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program (USJCMSP) sponsored a Conference on Emerging Diseases in Kyoto, Japan on July 27-28, 1996. This conference, the first scientific meeting on this topic to be organized by the USJCMSP, was co-sponsored by twenty-two institutions and agencies. The Conference was very well attended with over two hundred participants and representatives from many of the countries in the Pacific region.

The meeting was opened by the co-chairs of the conference, Dr. Shimao and Dr. Carpenter, the chairmen of the Japanese and U.S. Delegations of the USJCMSP, respectively. Both spoke about the challenge of emerging infectious diseases and the unique opportunity that this meeting provided to bring together scientists from around the Pacific Basin to discuss this important topic. Dr. Shimao expressed his view that we were facing a new era in infectious diseases. He added that the efforts underway within the USJCMSP are being coordinated with the objectives of the Common Agenda. Dr. Carpenter added that the long history of scientific collaboration between the U.S. and Japan has been extremely productive and that the USJCMSP is ideally suited to address the many scientific and technical problems of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Carpenter also expressed the view that this Conference marked the next logical step for the USJCMSP in addressing the problem of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

The agenda for the Conference on Emerging Diseases included scientific presentations designed to focus attention on the single point that infectious diseases of all types are emerging. The reasons for the emergence of these varied infectious diseases were summarized in the plenary session which opened the conference. In addition, the plenary session included a presentation on the complex network of host responses to infection. The Conference then proceeded to include presentations on selected bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections which have either emerged as problems in the United States, Japan or other regions or are in the process of emergence. Also included in the Conference were two round table discussions which focused the attention of the participants on two important issues in responding to emerging infections. The first of these addressed the possible contributions that professional societies in the region and throughout the world could make to advance the public and professional understanding of the complex issues and concerns regarding emerging infections. The second round table addressed the scientific challenges and opportunities for research in the area of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The perspectives of numerous scientists, including many from the developing world, representing diverse institutions and expertise were heard.

The presentations and discussions at the Conference on Emerging Diseases documented not only the factors related to the emergence of infectious diseases but also described the impact of emerging infections as public health problems. The clear consensus of the participants at the conference was that additional efforts were needed in the region, as well as globally, to address the problem of emerging infections. The participants also recognized that the elements needed for the effective response to the problem of emerging and re-emerging infections included not only the development of improved surveillance networks for infectious diseases, but that research activities at all levels are key for developing an effective response to the emerging disease problem. The availability of instantaneous global communications networks was identified as one important opportunity not only to improve the flow of surveillance information about emerging infectious diseases but also to facilitate and expedite the deployment of teams of experts to assess the problem. However, the response must also include the long-term commitment to support the needed research efforts that will be required to develop solutions to the problem including the development of diagnostics which are critical to the surveillance effort as well as the development of new vaccines, therapies and other methods to control the infection. Finally, the participants agreed on the need to convene a follow-up conference to address the broad issues of emerging infections. The Conference was adjourned by the two co-chairs in the early afternoon.

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