The First International Conference on Home Hygiene, organised jointly by the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) and the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS), was held on December 6 and 7, 2000, at the Central Public Health Laboratory in London. The conference, entitled: ‘Preventing Infectious Intestinal Disease in the Domestic Setting: A Shared Responsibility,’ was organised in association with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The conference provided an excellent opportunity for professionals,  any of whom are our IFH Associate Members, to meet, discuss and debate the significant issues relating to hygiene in the domestic setting. A variety of speakers recognised as opinion leaders in public health and home hygiene spoke to an audience of 150 delegates. The participants   ho attended the 2-day meeting were leading experts, researchers and hygiene professionals from more than 20 countries who shared a  common interest in home hygiene science.

The conference was opened by Professor Sally Bloomfield, a member of the IFH Scientific Advisory Board, who presented the unifying theme for the conference – targeted hygiene – a theme expanded on in the presentation entitled:  Developing a rational approach to hygiene in the domestic setting’ given by Dr Elizabeth Scott, also from the IFH Scientific Advisory  Board. The opening speakers on the first day described why home hygiene is an ongoing concern in the battle against infectious intestinal  disease (IID) by presenting epidemiological data and studies showing evidence of disease transmission in the home.

Dr Sarah O’Brien and Chris Day of the PHLS presented excellent UK surveillance data for infectious intestinal disease, highlighting the problems of measuring the incidence of these diseases within the home due to under-reporting.

The role of viruses in disease transmission in the home was illustrated through presentations by Dr Vipond of Bristol PHL and Dr Barker of Aston University. Other studies presented illustrated the spread of Salmonella in the home during food preparation (Professor Tom Humphrey of the Exeter PHL) and the spread of E. coli 057 (Professor Hugh Pennington, University of Aberdeen) .

On the second day, Dr Cristina Tirado of the FAO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Food Hygiene and Zoonoses at the BgVV in Berlin, presented results of the FAO/WHO Study and completed the picture by giving IID incidence data for the rest of Europe. The Hygiene Hypothesis was analysed in the context of immune development by Dr René Crevel; Dr Rosalind Stanwell Smith balanced the risks presented by the current understanding of this hypothesis against the need to continue to protect ourselves from infectious diseases.

Other highlights from the conference programme included presentations by Professor Charles Gerba on the use of microbial risk assessment, and by Professor Peter Gilbert on the effects of antimicrobial agents. Dr Chris Griffith, Dr Val Curtis and Professor Paul Terpstra focused their presentations on the importance of educating and motivating behaviour change to improve hygiene in the domestic environment. Professor Martin Exner, another member of the IFH Scientific Advisory Board, highlighted the increasing importance of protecting vulnerable groups in the home.

This First IFH Conference has been a resounding success and stimulated significant press coverage and debate in Europe in respect to the importance of home hygiene. In order to address the widely differing home hygiene needs across the world, the IFH is organising a second conference in December 2001 to be held in India in collaboration with the Indian Public Health Association and other interested public health bodies. This conference will focus on those issues particularly relevant to hygiene in the  domestic and peri-domestic setting in developing countries. Remember to keep up-to-date with other IFH activities by visiting the internet site Home Hygiene and Health: www.ifh-homehygiene.org ‘We are only now beginning to understand the potential for infectious disease transmission in the home setting’. Professor Martin Exner, IFH Scientific Advisory Board Member and Director of the Bonn Hygiene Institute, Germany A full copy of the Conference Abstract Book in Adobe Acrobat is available from the IFH internet site Home Hygiene & Health: www.ifh-homehygiene.org Professor Hugh Pennington, University of Aberdeen and Chair of the IFH Conference 

 
"We are only now beginning to understand the potential for infectious disease transmission in the home setting"

Professor Martin Exner, IFH Scientific Advisory Board Member and Director of the Bonn Hygiene Institute, Germany		 Professor Hugh Pennington, University of Aberdeen and Chair of the IFH Conference

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