The University of the Philippines Manila – College of Public Health (UPM-CPH) hosted the 1^st Scientific Symposium on the Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis in the Philippines (LepCon), at the UPM-CPH Auditorium on the 26^th of January 2012.

This year’s symposium covered ten papers published by the ten Filipino and Japanese scientists in leptospirosis research under the LepCon program. Four working groups presented the progresses made in each of their respective studies. Working Group A talked about the surveillance of the disease and the creation of diagnostic kits and vaccines for leptospirosis. Working Group B presented the studies made in the burden of disease. Working Group C showed the results of their research on the environmental factors in transmission and outbreaks of leptospirosis. Working Group D discussed health promotion and advocacy concerning leptospirosis in the Philippines. Ten scientists who led each research in each working group attended the event as speakers.

LepCon is a collaborative effort of the UPM-CPH, Kyushu University (KU), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCHRD-DOST).

In his opening remarks, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the PCHRD-DOST, stressed that the symposium should serve as an inspiration to the researchers to choose leptospirosis as the field of their study.

He said, “I hope that with these presentations, we would be able to inspire and encourage other researchers, especially the young, to pursue this field of interest because it will severely and importantly affect the majority of Filipinos.