This two-day workshop (follow-up to previous workshop in September 2000) will be held at the Epona Hotel in Horta-Bagy, Hungary, from September 6 - 8, 2002. It has the following goals: (1) to raise the level of understanding about agriculture and its relationship to rural health, occupational health and the environment in Central Europe, specifically to the Slovak and Czech Republics, Hungary, Poland, and the Ukraine; and (2) to facilitate collaborative research and intervention activities between participating countries and within countries. In order to achieve this goal, the following objectives have been established. A. To bring together key policy makers, leading researchers, educators, NGOs and for the purpose of understanding the occupational and environmental health issues that specifically impact rural populations of Central and Eastern Europe. B. To focus on four key health issues related to rural occupations and environment that were identified September 2000, and evaluate ongoing collaborative research and intervention programs. C. To discuss and plan strategies for effective public health interventions for rural populations, and evaluate the need to upgrade epidemiologic tools. D. To establish a database of research projects and intervention initiatives that can be shared among the participating countries.Invited delegates will be researchers, high-level policy makers from the ministries of health, agriculture and the environment, public health officials, academics, and non-governmental organizations with interests in rural populations and the environment. In addition to Central-Eastern-European delegates, the conference will include selected agricultural health and safety experts from Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands; rural and environmental health professionals from Wales, the World Health Organization and the US; representatives of USEPA, the USAID, and the US National Cancer Institute.Main topics will be Occupational cancer; Allergic diseases (respiratory and skin), Reproductive problems Traumatic injury, Environmental health aspects of pesticides exposure, and special issues related to minority populations.
