In order to improve the understanding of common infectious diseases in India, Clinical Infectious Diseases Society (CIDS) in association with Infectious Diseases Training & Research Centre, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore is going to conduct continuous medical education (CME) programme on infectious diseases for post-graduates from December 12 to 14, 2013.

"Aimed at diagnosis and management of common infectious diseases relevant to clinical practice in India, the programme bears a lot of importance as there is a need to create and enhance interest in the sub-specialty of infectious diseases among the postgraduate trainees of internal medicine," informed Dr Gerorge Varghese, organising chairman, CIDS.

"Besides serving as an opportunity to discuss all aspects of infectious diseases with experts in the field and lab sessions, the CME will discuss relevant topics as didactic lectures, clinical vignettes and case presentations," he elaborated.

Other major highlights of the CME programme are new antibiotics, adult immunisation, mechanisms of bacterial resistance, management of opportunistic infections in HIV infection, atypical mycobacterial infections and treatment of hepatitis B infection.

Aimed at tackling the challenge of anti-microbial resistance, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will set up a nodal centre on infectious disease at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore from amongst the five nodal centres scheduled to be operational by January 2014.

The nodal centres will work on antibiotic resistance and its mechanisation for developing a policy towards minimising microbial resistance. The other four centres will be set up at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh (two centres) and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.