Tag Archives: Minister of Health

Conference to Develop a National Framework on Lyme Disease

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OTTAWA, May 15, 2016 /CNW/ – The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, will be providing opening remarks at the Conference to Develop a National Framework on Lyme Disease.

More information on the Lyme Disease Conference can be found online.

Date
May 16, 2016

Time
Registration: 8:00 am ET – 9:00 am ET
Opening Remarks: 9:05 am ET
Media Availability: 9:30 am ET

Location
Government of Canada Conference Centre
111 Sussex Drive, Ottawa ON
Terrace Level – Algonquin Room

RELATED LINKS
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca

This conference is mandated by the Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Act.The conference’s aim is to develop a framework that will help prevent and reduce Lyme disease-related health risks to Canadians. It will focus on:

  • medical surveillance for tracking:
    • incidence rates
    • associated economic costs
  • standardized educational materials:
    • for use by Canadian public health providers
    • to increase national awareness
  • guidelines and best practices regarding:
    • treatment
    • prevention
    • identification
    • management

On behalf of the Minister of Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada will open the conference. Participants will include:

  • provincial and territorial health ministers
  • stakeholders, including representatives of:
    • patient groups
    • the medical community

Planning activities

We started a number of planning activities to help us develop the framework and to support the conference.

Online consultation

A 30-day online consultation was launched on June 1, 2015. Its purpose was to collect feedback from Canadians who expressed an interest in contributing to the framework.

A summary report from the consultation will be made available online after the conference.

Best Brains Exchange workshop

In late June 2015, a Best Brains Exchange 1-day workshop was held. Workshop participants included:

  • clinicians
  • academics
  • researchers
  • policy makers

These experts reviewed the effectiveness of current Lyme disease testing to identify needed changes.

The workshop outcomes will be posted when they become available.

Planning committee

A planning committee was formed to organize the conference with help from the:

  • Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
  • Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada

Members include:

  • Gregory W. Taylor
    Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada
  • Daniel Gregson
    Past-President, Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada
  • Jim Wilson
    President and Founder, Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
  • George Chaconas
    Canada Research Chair, Molecular Biology of Lyme Borreliosis
  • Gwen Barlee
    National Policy Director, Spokesperson for the Wilderness Committee
  • Marguerite Glazer
    Association Québécoise de la maladie de Lyme
  • Vett Lloyd
    Professor of Biology, Mount Allison University
  • Ralph Hawkins
    Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary
  • Richard Rusk
    Central Medical Officer of Health Services, Communicable Disease Control, Manitoba Health
  • Marc Ouellette
    Scientific Director, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Joel Kettner
    Professor, University of Manitoba
  • Gerald Evans
    Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, and Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University

Planning committee updates are posted here when they become available.

Conference overview and agenda

The conference will take place May 15 to 17, 2016, at the Government Conference Centre in Ottawa (111 Sussex Drive). It is open to the public.

The agenda is now available online.

To follow the conversation on social media, be sure to use #LymeConference. You can also follow us on Twitter at:

Source: Public Health Agency of Canada – Notice to the media – Conference to Develop a National Framework