Dr. Ansam Sawalha Participates in the International Congress of the European Association of Poison Centers and Clinical Toxicologists
16 May 2010
Between the 11th and 14th May 2010, Dr. Ansam Sawalha, Director of the Poison Control and Drug Information Center (PCDIC) at the University, participated in the 2010 International Congress of the European Association of Poison Centers and Clinical Toxicologists which was organized in the city of Bordeaux, France. In addition to Dr. Sawalha, who participated with two researches in the field of poison, a number of toxicologists from different parts of the world such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany also participated with several work papers and studies.
In the conference, the participants discussed a number of newly introduced protocols for treating the different poisoning cases as well as the different methods used by toxicologists. They also discussed topics such as treating poisoning cases using different kinds of drugs and medications which include over-the-counter drugs as well as drugs for chronic diseases. The discussion also covered issues like poisoning due to various kinds of chemicals such as detergents, cosmetics, pesticides, poisoning due to snake bites, or because of some poisonous plants and mushrooms.
The conference also discussed the status of the poison centers around the world, the problems they encounter, and their significant role in conducting researches and providing data that would help in determining the mechanisms that should be used to control the health situation in society.
As part of her participation, Dr. Sawalha presented two studies in which she discussed several issues related to poisons and poison control. The first study was titled "GIS Mapping of Poisoning Cases in North Palestine" which addressed the use of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in locating the geographical regions where poisoning rates are the highest. The maps that were obtained using the GIS technique included maps that mark poisoning areas in general and those which mark areas where poisoning occurs due to chemicals, drugs, snake bites or insects' stings as well as deliberate self-poisoning.
Her other research, however, was about the cases of suicide by self-poisoning in Palestine in which she explained that those cases are increasing, especially among females, and spoke about the materials those individuals used, their clinical conditions, and the treatment that was delivered to them.
As part of the conference, Dr. Sawalah met with officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and explained to them the activities that the PCDIC performs, its programs, and the problems and challenges it faces. A similar meeting was also held between Dr. Sawalha and representatives of the MICROMEDEX which is a collection of databases containing drug information. Professor Richard Dart, the Director of the Rocky Mountains Poison and Drug Center and the Director of Clinical Toxicology at the University of Colorado, United States also attended the conference and promised to support the PCDIC regarding drug and poison information.
Dr. Sawalha also met with the Vice President of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) where they discussed several issues.
