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In the developed world the strategic importance of infection control programmes has been underlined by recent developments and research findings. 
•  It is generally agreed that the incidence of infectious intestinal disease (IID) is unacceptably high. In the UK the recently estimated figure is 9 million cases per annum (1 in 5 of the population). 
•  Indications are that much of this infection arises in the home and that only a proportion can be traced to contaminated food, and much is related to infection brought into the home by infected individuals or pets. 
•  Recent figures showing that the greatest increases in foodborne disease are attributable to viral agents further reinforce the need for a new emphasis on prevention. 
•  The impact of demographic changes means that the elderly and those with chronic and degenerative illness, all of whom are at increased risk of infection, now contribute an increasing proportion of the global home population. 
•  Family members who are immuno-compromised or infected with HIV, as well as neonates and the elderly, are increasingly cared for at home. For these groups the consequences of acquiring disease such as gastrointestinal infections are potentially much more serious.
Growing awareness of the above factors has lead to the realisation that hygiene must be given greater priority. The complex and unpredictable nature of microbes means that the responsibility for controlling infectious disease must be shared by the public and the community. Currently, where concerns are raised about infectious disease and the importance of hygiene they relate mainly to hospital hygiene, institutional hygiene, and hygiene related to the production of food and other commodities. The strategic importance of the domestic setting in the chain of infection transmission through the community is often given little consideration. In devising an effective hygiene policy for the home it must be considered that homes are very different from hospital and institutional settings where hygienic design and layout is given greater consideration, and where hygiene education is mandatory. Experience is now showing that hygiene policies for the home need to have greater consideration of the issues which are specific to the home.In recognition of the importance of hygiene in the home, this conference will serve to unite the research base provided by the PHLS and the LSHTM with the work of the IFH in highlighting the importance of infection control in the domestic setting.
December 6th

9am to 5pm - SESSION CHAIRMAN: PROFESSOR HUGH PENNINGTON

INTRODUCTION
9:00 am Gastrointestinal disease in the domestic setting - what are the issues? 
Prof Sally Bloomfield, Unilever Research/Kings College London (IFH)

9:45 am Gastrointestinal disease in the domestic setting - What can we deduce from surveillance data? 
Chris Day, EHO and Lecturer in Environmental Health, Kings College London; 
Dr Sarah O'Brien CDSC, PHLS, Colindale 

10:30 am Coffee

11:00 am The role of viruses in gastrointestinal disease in the home.
Dr Barry I. Vipond, Clinical Scientist, PHLS Bristol and Dr J. Barker, Dept of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Aston University 

11:45 am Developing a rational approach to hygiene in the domestic setting.
Dr Elizabeth Scott, Consultant in Food and Environmental Hygiene, Massachusetts, USA (IFH)

12:30 pm Lunch and Poster Session 1.

2:00 pm The spread and persistence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in the domestic kitchen. 
Prof Tom Humphrey, PHLS Exeter

2:30 pm Escherichia coli 0157:H7: lessons for the domestic setting.
Prof Hugh Pennington, University of Aberdeen

3:00 pm Protecting vulnerable groups in the home : the interface between institutions and the domestic setting.
Prof Martin Exner, Hygiene Institute, Bonn (IFH)

3:30 pm Coffee

4:00 pm Hygiene and the immune system.
Dr Rosalind Stanwell-Smith, Public Health Consultant, UK and Dr Renι Crevel Toxicology Unit, Unilever Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth, UK

December 7th

9am to 3:30pm - Chairman: Dr Judith Hilton, FSA

9.00 am Evaluating hygiene behaviour in the domestic setting and the impact of hygiene education.
Chris Griffith, Food Research and Consultancy Unit, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

9:45 am Hygiene: How Myths, Monsters, and Mothers-in-Law can Promote Behaviour Change.
Dr Val Curtis, Lecturer in Hygiene Promotion, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 

10:30 am coffee

11:00 am WHO Surveillance Programme on Foodborne Disease: Results and Trends across Greater Europe. 
Dr Cristina Tirado, FAO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Research & Training in Food Hygiene and Zoonoses at the BgVV, Berlin 

11:45 am Biocide usage in the domestic setting and concern about antibacterial and antibiotic resistance. 
Dr Peter Gilbert, Reader in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Manchester 

12:30 pm Lunch and Poster Session 2

2:00 pm Application of Quantitative risk assessment for formulating hygiene policy in the domestic setting.
Dr Charles Gerba, University of Arizona

2:45 pm The impact of changing sustainable technology and changing consumer habits on infectious disease on infectious disease transmission in the domestic setting.
Professor Paul Terpstra, Department of Consumer Technology and Product Use, University of Wageningen, NL

3:30 pm Poster Session with Coffee