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The “L. Spallanzani” Institute is working at international level in the field of emerging and re-emerging infections with particular regards to infectious diseases in the Mediterranean area. The Italian public health authorities are concerned about the spread of communicable diseases in the Mediterranean Countries which is in part related to the wars in the Eastern Countries and to shifting of displaced populations. The experiences and relevant results obtained by the “L. Spallanzani” Institute during the last years, working on surveillance and control of communicable diseases in several countries under the co-ordination of WHO and other international agencies, represent the basis for future efforts in this direction. Therefore, the “L. Spallanzani” Institute can be considered a suitable place for the creation of a European Centre for communicable diseases in the Mediterranean area in favour of activities promoted or sustained by the European Union.
The future activities of the ICAERI Centre at the “L.Spallanzani” Institute in Rome are defined as follows:
-The ICAERI will be integrated in the new department of experimental research.
The new building will open on December 2000.
- ICAERI’s current research activities will be integrated and expanded in order to allow this centre to have a steady support by the “L. Spallanzani” Institute.
-The “L. Spallanzani” Institute aims to increase its scientific capacity and level of acknowledgement in basic research, and to further extend clinical and experimental activities in which it has natural leadership. The UNESCO Centre represents a central part of this groove.
-The “L. Spallanzani” Institute will continue and enhance its activities in the fields of hepatitis-C treatment, behavioural aspects of infectious diseases, and information and documentation on HIV prevention and therapy. These activities include advertising campaigns and disposal and/or distribution of specific literature.
In this context, UNESCO plays a central role regarding the documentation service. A specific Bioinformatic Unit will be established by ICAERI at the new building of the “L. Spallanzani” Institute.
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