Some 400 health professionals and students are expected to attend the eighth annual Northern California International Health Conference Saturday, April 8, at the University of California, Davis.

The daylong conference will focus on "Emerging Diseases and Global Health," with international and national authorities addressing issues such as flu pandemics, the reemergence of tuberculosis, the intersection of human and veterinary issues in emerging diseases, infections that follow natural disasters, and diseases that are transmitted globally by mosquitoes and other pests.

"Emerging diseases and international health are two of the most important areas in public health today," said Marc Schenker, a UC Davis medical school professor and chair of public health sciences. "The news reminds us almost daily about global epidemic spread and the enormous impact of diseases such as avian flu, West Nile fever, malaria and tuberculosis.

"Worldwide, the need for public health efforts to reduce the disease burden from infectious and emerging diseases is urgent and enormous," Schenker added, noting that each year 11 million children under the age of 5 die in developing countries from preventable causes.

Keynote speaker for the upcoming conference will be Virginia Hinshaw, an expert in viral diseases and UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor. She will provide an overview of the global influenza challenge.

For more than 25 years, Hinshaw conducted research on viruses, primarily influenza, at different hospitals and universities, including Medical College of Virginia; University of California, Berkeley; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Harvard Medical School; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her international work on the surveillance of influenza viruses in humans, mammals and birds contributed to increased understanding of many aspects of influenza viruses.

Other plenary session speakers will include Philip Hopewell of UC San Francisco, speaking about tuberculosis control; Nina Marano of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discussing diseases that affect both animals and humans; Greg Lanzaro of UC Davis, talking about the global challenge of diseases by insects and other pests; and Christian Sandrock of UC Davis Medical Center, speaking about infections after natural disasters.

The conference will be held in the Pavilion at the Activities and Recreation Center on the Davis campus, with breakout sessions in nearby classrooms. The breakout sessions will cover a wide range of topics such as children and environmental health, the global tobacco epidemic and international mental health.

The conference is open to faculty, students and the general public interested in learning more about current issues in global health. More information and registration forms are available online at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cme/Confrnce/8thAIHC/ConfrncePage.htm.