THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION 3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-2692 Phone: (410) 516-7160 / Fax (410) 516-5251
----------------------------------------------------------------
February 28, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Phil Sneiderman [email protected]
MEDIA ADVISORY: CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
The Story: Could climate changes trigger wider outbreaks
of disease? A conference in Bethesda, Md., will
explore the potential threat to public health.
Background: Occupational and environmental health experts
from The Johns Hopkins University and other
leading research centers will meet to discuss
how climate change and ozone depletion could
affect the spread of disease and lead to
greater contamination of food and water
supplies. Warmer weather, for example, could
cause more mosquito activity and more cases
of malaria. Changes in rainfall could cause
flooding and more illness carried by water-
borne microbes. Participants will learn about
the latest research results and talk about
ways to monitor and respond to these health
risks.
The Event: The annual conference of the Society for
Occupational and Environmental Health
will be held Thursday and Friday, March
6 and 7, in the Natcher Conference
Center, National Institutes of Health
Campus, 45 Center Drive, Bethesda, Md.
News Coverage: Reporters will be admitted free to the
conference. To register and obtain a schedule
of presentations, please contact Marge Degnon
at the society's office: (703) 556-9222.
Related Research: Two Johns Hopkins researchers are directing a
$3 million study, funded by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, to examine
the public health risks posed by climate
changes in the United States. Scientists from
12 universities and government agencies will
evaluate the threats and suggest ways for key
policy-makers to respond. Principal
investigators are Jonathan Patz, director of
the Program on Health Effects of Global
Environmental Change, Division of
Occupational and Environmental Health, at the
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health;
and Hugh Ellis, professor and chair of the
Department of Geography and Environmental
Engineering in Hopkins' Whiting School of
Engineering. Patz and Ellis will be among the
speakers at the Bethesda conference and are
available for interviews on their research.
To interview Patz, contact Sharon Rippey at
(410) 955-6878. To interview Ellis, contact
Phil Sneiderman at (410) 516-7907.
###
RSS