AFRIMS News
AFRIMS team at Disease Surveillance Workshop, Vientiane, Laos
AFRIMS provided a team of experts to the United States Pacific Command (PACOM) Disease Surveillance Workshop 9-12 June in Vientiane, Laos. The workshop was organized by the National Avian and Human Influenza Coordinating Office (NAHICO) of Laos and the PACOM team from the Office of International Health at Thirteenth Air Force from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. The workshop provided an overview to 40 specialists from the Military Medical Department (MMD) and Ministry of Health (MOH) on the laboratory and epidemiology concepts in disease surveillance. The workshop was the opening event of a cooperative program with PACOM and NAHICO to enhance disease surveillance capacity within the MMD, improving the capability of health experts within the Lao PDR to detect, respond and contain infectious diseases.
The following AFRIMS personnel provided talks and demonstrations: COL Julie Pavlin on disease surveillance; Pakornpat Suphanich, Rapida Padmasankha and Nucharee Thongsen from the GEIS Dept on database creation, mapping and epidemiologic software; Duangrat Mongkolsirichaikul and Wiliaiwan Sridadech from the Virology Dept on influenza surveillance and diagnosis; LTC Mark Fukuda from the Immunology Dept on malaria drug resistance surveillance; Dr. Ananda Nisalak from the Virology Dept on dengue epidemiology and diagnosis; LTC Kwanjai Viputtigul and LTC Pradith Kaewsatien from the Research Dept on leptospirosis and rickettsia epidemiology and diagnosis; Siriporn Sornsakarin and Apichai Srijan from the Enterics Dept on diarrheal pathogens and antibiotic resistance in Asia; and Dr. Alongkot Ponlawat and Surachai Leepitakrat from the Entomology Dept on vector identification and surveillance.
Members from the Laos Military Medical Department will be attending a training program at AFRIMS from August 17-28 to further their knowledge and capabilities to perform disease surveillance. This program is made possible through support by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center/Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response Systems (AFHSC/DOD-GEIS).
Read about this Workshop in Laos Newspapers >> Vietiane Times | Kongthap Pasaxon Lao Daily
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