Event date:
November 28-29, 2024
Location:
Szentágothai Research Centre
Welcome letter
Esteemed colleagues and distinguished guests,
It is our great honor and privilege to welcome you all to the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Balkan Association for Vector-Borne Diseases (BAVBD) here in the beautiful city of Pécs. This gathering represents a unique opportunity for experts, researchers, and practitioners across the region to come together, exchange knowledge, and advance our collective understanding of vector-borne diseases, which continue to pose significant public health challenges in the Balkans and beyond.
We are thrilled to witness the growth and impact of this association. The BAVBD was founded with the mission to foster collaboration among professionals dedicated to the study and control of vector-borne diseases. Over the past year, we have seen remarkable progress in research, surveillance, and public health interventions—thanks to the dedication and hard work of all members.
This meeting is not just a platform to share our latest research findings but also a celebration of the partnerships we have built and the strides we have made together. We are proud to host this event in Pécs, a city with a rich history of scientific innovation and a strong commitment to advancing medical and public health knowledge.
During the course of this conference, we will explore a wide range of topics, from the latest developments in vector surveillance and control strategies to cutting-edge research on pathogen-host interactions. The sessions are designed to facilitate meaningful discussions, foster new collaborations, and inspire innovative approaches to tackling the complex issues we face in our field.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your participation and contributions to this important event. Your expertise, insights, and passion are what drive our collective success. We are confident that the discussions and exchanges we have here will lead to significant advancements in our understanding and control of vector-borne diseases, ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of the populations we serve.
Thank you, and we wish you all a productive and inspiring conference.
Dr. Dejan Jakimovski
Clinic for Infectious diseases Skopje, North Macedonia
President of BAVBD
Dr. Gábor Kemenesi
director of National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs
Diagnostics and Laboratory research Task Force Leader
Organization Board:
Dr. Gabor Kemenesi (National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs)
Dr. Pavle Banović (Pasteur Institute Novi Sad)
Dr. Dejan Jakimovski (University Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile conditions, Skopje)
Dr. Iva Christova (National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia)
Dr. Lidija Popović-Dragonjić (Clinic for Infectology, University Clinical Center Niš)
Dr. Eleftherios Meletis (Laboratory of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Public and One Health, University of Thessaly)
Scientific Board:
Dr. Eleftherios Meletis (Epidemiology and Biostatistics)
Dr. Dejan Jakimovski (Clinical medicine)
Dr. Kornelia Kurucz (Diagnostics and Laboratory research)
Opening lecturers
-
Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
UMR BIPAR
INRAE, Anses, EnvA
France
-
Pat Nuttall
Department of Biology
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
-
Daniel Růžek
Masaryk University
The Czech Academy of Sciences
Czech Republic
-
Daniel Brooks
Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research
Hungary
Registration is closed!
PROGRAM
28th November
· 15:00-15:30: Registration
· 15:30-16:30: Opening ceremony:
Welcome speeches
Presentation of the Szentágothai Research Centre (Professor Dr. Gabor L. Kovacs, Scientific Director)
Presentation of the National Laboratory of Virology (Dr. Gabor Kemenesi, director)
Presentation of Sandia National Laboratories, USA: Lisa Marie Astuto Gribble (Global Chemical and Biological Security,) „Sandia’s Impact on Global Health”
16:30: Free time / Visiting the laboratory of VNL
18:00-19:00: BAVBD general assembly
29th November
Session I
Mosquito-borne Pathogens and Diseases
08:30-08:50: Opening lecture
Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz (INRAE)
Bridging the gap between research and real-life implementation of One Health solutions
08:50-09:50: Lectures
08:50-09:00 Ana Klobučar (Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia, Department of Epidemiology, Vector and Pest Control Unit) An overview of mosquitoes, emerging arboviral infections and mosquito control in the Zagreb area, Croatia
09:00-09:10 Goran Vignjević (Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek) Mosquitoes as vectors in eastern Croatia
09:10-09:20 Perparim Kadriaj (Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania, Vector Control Unit) Surveillance of vectors of WNV in 2024 in Albania
09:20-09:30 Viktoria Cabanova (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology) High-throughput environmental WNV/USUV surveillance for cost-effective public health use and an early warning system
09:30-09:40 Albiona Rashiti Bytyçi (National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo) The Epidemiological Situation of vector-borne diseases in Kosovo
09:40-09:50 Anna Nagy (National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy) What is new for West Nile virus and Usutu virus in Hungary? – Overview of the 2024 seasonal period
09:50-10:00: Discussion
10:00-10:30: Coffee break
Session II
Tick-borne Diseases/Climate change
10:30-10:50: Opening lecture
Pat Nuttall (Department of Biology, University of Oxford, UK)
Tick-borne infections in a warming climate
10:50-11:50: Lectures
10:50-11:00 Dejan Jakimovski (University Clinical Center Skopje, Clinic for Infectious diseases) Tick-Borne Diseases in North Macedonia: Emerging Pathogens and Clinical Case Insights
11:00-11:10 Alexandr Morozov (Institute of Zoology, State University of Moldova) Tick-borne Pathogens in the Urban Green Spaces of Chisinau (Republic of Moldova)
11:10-11:20 Tomáš Csank (The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice) Retrospective and Current Knowledge About Zoonotic Tick-Borne Orbiviruses
11:20-11:30 Mariyana Stoycheva (Medical University Plovdiv, Department of infectious diseases, parasitology and tropical medicine) Current Epidemiological and Clinical Situation of Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever in Bulgaria
11:30-11:40 Anastasia Diakou (School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece) Are ticks just a seasonal threat? Understanding the need for year-round defense
11:40-11:50 Gábor Földvári (Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research) One step ahead of tick-borne disease emergence: DAMA protocol combined with citizen science
11:50-12:00: Discussion
12:00-13:00: Lunch break
Session III
Vector-borne Diseases and Innovative techniques
13:00-13:20: Opening lecture Daniel Ružek (Masaryk University)
Tick-borne encephalitis - still more questions than answers
13:20-13:40: Flash Talks
(Case reports, Preliminary research data)
13:40-14:50: Lectures
13:40-13:50 Eleftherios Meletis (Faculty of Public and One Health, University of Thessaly, Greece) Bayesian Modeling of Scutal and Coxal Indices for Lyme Borreliosis Risk-Exposure Assessment in Serbian Patients: Updated Insights from 2023 Data
13:50-14:00 Lidija Popović-Dragonjić (University Clinical Center Niš, Clinic for Infectious diseases) Vector-borne diseases in southeastern Serbia
14:00-14:10 Kostadin Poposki (University Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile conditions, Skopje) Vector-borne diseases as a cause of fever of unknown origin
14:10-14:20 Morana Tomljenović (Operative Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health Primorje-Gorski Kotar County) Vector-borne diseases (zoonoses) in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia
14:20-14:30 Iva Christova (National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria) Toscana virus circulation among residents of Bulgaria
14:30-14:40 Mattia Foti (University of Rome "La Sapienza", Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Rome) Development and validation of an innovative approach to assess the age of Aedes albopictus adults
14:40-14:50 Dragomira Majhen (Institute Ruđer Bošković, Zagreb) Adenoviral vectors for gene transfer and vaccination
· 14:50-15:00: Discussion
· 15:00-15:30: Coffee break
Session IV
One Health - Research and Public Health aspects
15:30-15:50: Opening lecture
Daniel Brooks (Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research)
Overcoming the Social Inertia of Paradigm Shifts During a Crisis
15:50-16:50: Lectures
15:50-16:00 Ognyan Mikov (National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria) The mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Bulgaria: an update on their vector role and resistance to insecticides
16:00-16:10 Orsolya Nagy (National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy) Tropical arbovirus infections imported into Hungary in 2024
16:10-16:20 Csongor Németh (University of Pécs, Medical School, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Oncodermatology) Cutaneous Dirofilaria repens infections detected by dermatologists
16:20-16:30 Kornélia Kurucz (University of Pecs, National Laboratory of Virology) Circulation of mosquito-borne filarial nematodes in Pécs (Hungary) - investigating the background of human infections
16:30-16:40 Heliana Dundarova (Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) Lyssavirus Detection within the Cave-Dwelling Bat Communities in Bulgaria
16:40-16:50 Pavle Banović (Pasteur Institute Novi Sad) Detection and description of emerging vector-borne pathogens in Balkans: the role of BAVBD
16:50 – 17:00: Discussion
Closure of the Scientific Program
Accommodation options
Hotel Makár ****
7635. Pécs, HU
Középmakár dűlő 4.
reservation@hotelmakar.hu
Hotel Laterum ***
7633 Pécs, Hajnóczy u. 37-39.
laterum@laterum.hu
Corso Hotel Pécs ****
Koller u. 8, 7626 Pecs
+36 70 650 4837
reservation@corsohotel.hu
