The University of Oregon will host a panel discussion, The State of Communicable Disease in Lane County, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Willamette Hall, room 100.

The event is free and open to students, faculty, staff and community members.

The panel will include James Mough, lab manager at the UO University Health Center; Dr. Patrick Luedtke, chief health officer for Lane County; Dr. Anna Stern, medical director for the Trillium Community Health Plan; Dr. Lisandra Guzman, from the Community Health Centers of Lane County; and Renee Yandel, program director for the HIV Alliance.

The rates of certain sexually transmitted diseases and infections; pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough; and several other communicable diseases are increasing in Lane County, but awareness, immunization and proper preventive care can slow that trend. The panel members will discuss the rising rate of these diseases and strategies to mitigate the next possible outbreak.

For more information, contact Jason Davis, public information officer for Lane County Health and Human Services, at 541-682-8707.

- from the UO Office of Strategic Communications