YOGYAKARTA – Infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV-AIDS, remain to be major health problems in Indonesia. In the past ten years, the morbidity caused by degenerative diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, metabolic disorders, and tobacco dependence, has increased significantly. "The change in diseases which was previously dominated by non-infectious diseases to infectious diseases is because environmental, socio-economic, demographic, and socio-cultural changes," a clinical pathology researcher of UGM Faculty of Medicine, dr. Elizabeth Henny Herningtyas, M.D, Ph.D., said to reporters on Monday (7/11).
The statement is delivered in the international symposium on recent development of biomedical medication from molecular to application, 17-18 November 2011, in the Auditorium of the Faculty. According to Elizabeth, to address the morbidity due to infectious diseases, a translational research involving basic medical sciences, including at the molecular level, public health and clinical sciences, which has been applied among countries, needs to be conducted collaboratively. And so, the handling of infectious diseases can be done well despite the different progress of each country in biomedical science. "This collaboration will enhance not only the quality of research, but also improve the quality of human resources, education and networking," she said.
The Committee Chairman of International Symposium, Dr. Eti Nurwening Sholikhah, M.D, M.Sc., said the symposium is planned to be attended by 51 researchers from the fields of medical science, biology, materials, and information from various countries, including Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and France. She added that the symposium will be used as a forum to exchange experience as well as to strengthen research networks and collaborations. "Five major themes in the symposium are degenerative diseases, infectious diseases, reproductive health, drug development and nutrition," she said.
Answering reporters’ questions related to the results of research conducted by the Faculty in the treatment of infectious diseases, Eti informed that along with other members of the research team, Eti are conducting research utilization of Pasak Bumi roots to be used as anti-malaria drugs. In fact, the research which has been going on for 10 years is being tested on the human body. "The efficacy and safety of this medicine are still being proven," she concluded.