April 17, 2007

Today, the events of Poison Prevention Week concluded at An-Najah National University. The event was attended by Dr. Suliman Khalil, Coordinator of Scientific Centers, as well as Dr. Ansam Sawalha, Director of the Poison Control Center, Dr. Waleed Sweileh, Dean of the College of Pharmacology, Mr. Saed Zyoud, Toxicology Information Specialist, and a number of interested academic and administrative staff.  The event was held at the university and was also attended by a large number of interested students.
This is the second Poison Prevention Week and it was made possible through the continuous work of the staff at the Poison Control and Drug Information Center, as well as the staff and student body of the College of Pharmacology. The goal of the week was to raise awareness regarding poisons and proper methods of prevention. The theme of the week was “healthy life style” which was consistent with the World Health Organization's recommendation to “invest in health”. During the week, there was an exhibition which displayed posters and brochures, as well as other material which helped to better illustrate the ideas of poison awareness and prevention.
Dr. Khalil acknowledged all those who worked to bring this week to fruition including the supervising committee, who made all preparations for the week, and the students and volunteers who worked so hard, day and night, to make the week a success.
Through her words, Dr. Sawalha explained that the events of the week also included lectures given to a large number of randomly selected schools. The lectures focused on the prevention of poisoning. Graduate students from the College of Pharmacology gave lectures on current guidelines for treating certain cases of poisoning. Also, visits were arranged to allow several schools to come to the university and view the exhibition. Dr. Sawalha also mentioned that the week, which was the second of its kind, was a great success and the number of distinguished visitors was evidence of this.