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EID Volume 2 * Number 1 January-March 1996
Topics related to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases attracted a considerable audience at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 15-19, 1995, in Washington, D.C. The meeting had a separate session entitled "Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases: Biocultural and Sociocultural Approaches."
The session brought together anthropologists interested in and working on emerging infectious diseases from various subdisciplinary perspectives. Presentations were made on the following subjects: outline of a research agenda, deforestation and the emergence of infectious diseases in the rain forests of Papua-New Guinea, the cholera epidemic in Latin America, evolutionary aspects of emergent infections, societal impacts of the test for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, compliance and iatrogenesis in tuberculosis treatment in the United States, patchwork policies that affect long-term treatment of tuberculosis in Nepal and Uganda, the reemergence of schistosomiasis in Egypt, dengue control in Latin America, cultural and political ecologic models of emergent infections, and the politics of leprosy eradication. Abstracts are available from the conference organizers, listed below.
Anthropologists interested in international health and the social science aspects of infectious diseases are organized in a working group called the International Health and Infectious Disease Study Group of the Society of Medical Anthropology (American Anthropological Association). Requests to subscribe to this group's newsletter can be sent to
Johannes Sommerfeld
Harvard Institute for International Development
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Phone: 617-495-9791
E-mail: jsommerf@hiid.harvard.edu
Sandra Lane
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
E-mail: sxl45@po.cwru.edu