The First International Conference on Dengue and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever was convened in Chiang Mai, Thailand from November 20 to 24, 2000 aiming to strengthen the efforts to control dengue in the new millennium.

Almost eight years after that event the second conference of this kind has been gathering in a beautiful resort in Phuket, the pearl of the Andaman Sea, south of Thailand. There are 941 participants from 47 countries around the world joining the meeting in order to review the situation and researches that have been done so far and to find out what are still needed to be done.

The forum, consisting of physicians, nurses, academia, scientists from both government and non-governmental organizations, gave us the opportunity to exchange our experiences and skills and techniques including new conceptual research to approach to the prevention and control of the disease, reflecting the theme “Global Innovation to Fight Dengue”. Lectures involving state-of-the-art, plenary, and symposia taken part by experts in the field were performed. Topics on virology, epidemiology, patho-physiology, immune response, new tools in laboratory diagnostic methods, clinical managements, surveillance, vector biology and ecology, community involvement and vaccine development were included in the presentations. Participants had chances to perform as oral presentations on 84 and as posters on 212 occasions. Experts around the world, for example, Dr. Scott B. Halstead, Dr. Duane Gubler, Dr. Ichiro Kurane, Dr. Donald S. Burke, Dr. Lam Sai Kit, and Thai senior experts – Dr. Suchitra Nimmannitya, Dr. Sompone Punyagupta, Dr. Ananda Nisalak, Dr. Tanomsri Srichaikul were among them; have fully participated in discussions.

Expected outcome on identification of research priorities, improve surveillance, vector control, better case diagnosis and management and efficacious vaccine development and international networking and support, community commitment will be achieved.

Finally, in my capacity of Chairman of the Scientific Organizing Committee, on behalf of the committee members, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all parties, sponsors concerned, experts, staffs who worked very hard and participants that make this conference fruitful success. I wish all of you travel to your home town safely and work further and we will have another chance to join each other again in the very near future. Till we meet again.