Sanford Guide Forum in China Brings Infectious Disease Experts Together

Nov. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Sanford Guide Forum in China Brings Infectious Disease Experts Together
to Discuss Treatment of “Superbugs” and Other Diseases

BEIJING -- The Sanford Guide, recognized as the essential reference for infectious disease treatment, and Peking Union Medical College, one of the preeminent medical schools in China, announced that the first Sanford Guide Forum in China will be convened in Beijing on Saturday, November 5, 2011.  Members of the Sanford Guide’s U.S. and Chinese editorial boards, who are leading experts in the field of infectious diseases, will present talks on current issues affecting treatment of infectious diseases for an audience of infectious disease specialists and other physicians. The event will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, and will be satellite webcast to ten other locations in China.

The conference will focus on guidelines for effective treatment of resistant infectious diseases.  These so-called “superbugs”, which have developed resistance to antibiotics, present a growing problem in China, the U.S. and worldwide.  Highlights from the forum include:

•   Robert C. Moellering, Jr. M.D. from Harvard Medical School will deliver a keynote presentation on “Solving the Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in Gram-Positive Cocci.”  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is an example. Management of dangerous infections, like MRSA, is a global health concern.

•   Henry F. Chambers, M.D. from the University of California Medical School at San Francisco will present “Antibiotic Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria: Scope of the Problem.”  The cell structure of these particular bacteria makes them more difficult to attack with antibiotics than organisms like Staph.  Gram-negative bacteria can cause severe pneumonia and infections of the urinary tract, bloodstream and other parts of the body.

•   Professor Xiao Yonghong from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou will present “Current Antibiotic Situation in China and Management Strategy for the Chinese Government,” where he will describe China’s new comprehensive antibiotic resistance surveillance program.  Collecting resistance data broadly from Chinese hospitals is key to development of new strategies to manage treatment-resistant organisms.

The Chinese Edition of The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy is published in cooperation with Peking Union Medical College Press in Beijing.  The first Chinese Edition of the Sanford Guide was published in 1998.  Sanford Guide president and managing editor Jeb Sanford was in China working with editors on the 2003 Chinese Edition during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SARS was a frightening example of newly-emergent disease, quickly infecting thousands of people around the world, including people in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America. The fast global public health response helped to stem the spread of the virus, although it still exists today.

“With drug-resistant infections on the rise worldwide, new strains of influenza and other diseases emerging and new treatment options for HIV and chronic diseases like Hepatitis C, health care professionals need a guide to antimicrobial therapy more than ever,” said Jeb Sanford.  “The Sanford Guide is one of the most frequently used and widely relied upon references in medicine.  The Sanford Guide Forum in China is an opportunity for us to share information and work together to find the best treatment solutions.  
We are very pleased to collaborate with the Peking Union Medical College, and China’s leading infectious disease specialists, to provide doctors with the most current treatment guidelines at the point of care.”

About Sanford Guide

Sanford Guide is the leading authoritative reference guide for the treatment of infectious diseases available to health care providers at the point of care. Edited by leading experts in infectious diseases and supported by evidence-based references, the Sanford Guide has aided medical professionals in treatment decision-making for more than 40 years.  Antimicrobial Therapy, Inc., publisher of the Sanford Guides, has been owned and operated by the Sanford family since 1969.  The Sanford Guide is available in print, as a Web-based edition and as Apps for smartphones and tablets. More information is available at www.sanfordguide.com.

About the Sanford Guide in China

The first Chinese edition of The Sanford Guide was published in 1998 in cooperation with Second Military Medical University in Shanghai. The Chinese edition has been updated annually since 2003 and is now published in cooperation with Peking Union Medical College in Beijing. The Sanford Guide trademark, meaning “Hot Disease”, was used in ancient Chinese medicine to describe a variety of clinical conditions accompanied by fever. The characters have been used on the cover of The Sanford Guide since 1976.