COMMUNIQUÉ
Welcome to ANPA '99. This year our theme is "Public Health". We have suc-
ceeded in putting a program together that we think will address salient and con-
temporary issues in public health, not only in Nigeria but also in the continent of
Africa. The highlight of this convention will, as in the past, be the Key-note
address to be delivered this year by Professor Adetokunbo O. Lucas, the DOYEN
of Preventive and Social Medicine in Nigeria, an extraordinary academician and
adjunct professor of public health at Harvard University.
This year, we have six plenary sessions, two luncheon seminars and two work-
shops. One of the plenary sessions will be devoted to a symposium on the Public
Health Consequences of Oil Pollution in Nigeria. All of our plenary sessions end at
lunch, freeing the afternoons for workshops, family and social affairs. The sympo-
sium on oil pollution is so vital that it has attracted speakers from the oil industry,
from the World Bank and from the Federal Government of Nigeria. This medico-
socio-political discussion/debate will be very enlightening and will, no doubt,
constitute the second highlight of this convention.
For the fifth year the ANPA leadership has proved that dedication to a cause
and the persistent pursuit of a goal can yield outstanding results. The successes
of our conventions should be a tribute to these selfless leaders of our association.
The program committee of which we are co-chairs has identified that the over-
all purpose of this convention is to produce a program that will help us identify
the sources and consequences of public health hazards in Nigeria and in the
continent of Africa. At the end of the convention, it is our fervent hope that each
of us will be able to identify the major causes of mortality and morbidity in
Nigeria, the environmental factors that impact health outcomes in Nigeria, and
priority areas for public health policy initiatives aimed at promoting health and in
the prevention of diseases in Nigeria and Africa. We also hope that this conven-
tion will help all of us in developing a better understanding of public health
needs in Nigeria.
Please help convince Nigerian physicians to be part of this group. Come with
your friends and Resident Physicians. Come with your family. We look forward to
seeing you all in Las Vegas.
'Funmi Olopade, M.D.
Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-Chairs
Las Vegas Strip
