The State of the Art Science and Controversy – In a Spirit of Cooperation!
The annual IPFA/PEI International Workshop was held in Prague on 20 and 21 May 2015 and achieved its objective of bringing together international experts with an interest and responsibility for maintaining a safe and secure supply of transfusion products for patient care in all regions of the world. The meeting this year was attended by 190 delegates from 35 countries and from all continents.
A truly international event
Once again, therefore, the meeting was a truly international event which maintained its tradition of promoting scientific discussion and engaging debate in an atmosphere of cooperation and common purpose. We are grateful to our hosts Dr Vit Rehacek and Petr Turek (Czech Society for Transfusion Medicine) for hosting the meeting and for providing a comprehensive and informative overview of transfusion activities in the Czech Republic.
Risk Based Decision Making
Specific topics were considered this year within the broader context of “Risk Based Decision Making”. Dr Sebastian Delmotte (MAD-Environnement, France) opened and set the scene for the meeting with a keynote presentation on Global Risk Management – From Perception to Governance.
Specific subjects addressed during the Workshop included:
- Hepatitis E virus prevalence and relevance to safety of blood components and plasma products
- Overview of emerging pathogens and assessment of need for intervention
- Ebola – intervention options, experience and outlook for future outbreaks
- Studies and technical developments from supporting industries
- Donation testing algorithms and safety strategies – review and continuation of discussions in Rome, IPFA/PEI Workshop 2014
- Tools and strategies for assessing risk and managing emerging threats to transfusion safety
Vigorous and engaged discussions
This two day Workshop was characterized by authoritative presentations, vigorous and engaged discussion and a spirit of cooperation between all stakeholders. We are deeply indebted to all who contributed to the success of the meeting including our commercial sponsors without whose support the meeting would not be possible.
IPFA/PEI 2016 Workshop – Lisbon
We look forward to welcoming you all to our 23rd IPFA/PEI International Workshop in Lisbon, Portugal.
Dr Paul Strengers, President IPFA
Dr Michael Chudy, Acting Head Molecular Virology Paul-Ehrlich-Institut
