Binational Foodborne Illness Seminar
Sponsored by EWIDS in collaboration with ISESALUD, USMBHC-Tijuana Section, and COLEF

Date: July 11, 2008
Place: Mario Ojeda Conference Room of the Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF)
Tijuana, Baja California
Time: 8:00AM to 3:00PM

Objective: to enhance the epidemiological capacity in Baja California to not only to recognize a foodborne illness, but also to determine if it is related to bioterrorism. This seminar was a valuable opportunity for public health professionals within the California and Baja California region to learn the impact of foodborne illnesses along the border region.

Presenters Included:

• Dr. Angélica Pon Méndez, Chief of Baja California Epidemiology Department
• Q.A. Mariana Jiménez Lucas, Sanitary Operations Commission, Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS)
• Dr. Olga L. Henao, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, & Enteric Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC)
• José Luís Sánchez Osorio, MC, Direction for the Protection against Sanitary Risk, ISESALUD Sanitary Jurisdiction No.3
• Dr. Ben Sun, Veterinary Public Health Section, California Department of Public Health
• Dr. Martha Lorena Nava, ISESALUD Sanitary Jurisdiction No. 1
• Dr. Akiko C. Kimura, Infectious Diseases Branch, California Department of Public Health

The conference was organized by Dr. Angélica Pon Méndez (ISESALUD), Dr. Gudelia Rangel (USMBHC-Tijuana Section/COLEF), and Dr. Martha Vazquez-Erlbeck (EWIDS, San Diego). For further questions regarding this seminar, please contact Dr. Martha Vazquez-Erlbeck, at Martha.Erlbeck@cdph.ca.gov.