More than 100 health, livestock and environment experts from 17countries are discussing ways to promote collaboration in diseaseprevention in the face of several newly emerging diseases at a three-dayworkshop that began in Hanoi on October 13.
They agreed thatincreased collaboration was needed to prevent and fight the spread ofdiseases like avian influenza H5N1, H7N9, SARS and Ebola.
"Weshould mobilise society as a whole to participate in activities thatmanage and minimise disease-causing risks," said Tran Dac Phu, directorof the Health Ministry's Preventive Medicine Department.
Phucalled for greater co-opearation and co-ordination between nations,regions and continents in handling diseases, saying this was an urgentneed in the context of the rapid spread of Ebola virus and deaths in theWest Africa region.
The workshop is part of the One Healthinitiative, a multidisciplinary approach to achieve optimal health forpeople, animals and the environment through local, regional and globalresearch collaboration.
Proponents of the concept believe thatthe synergism achieved will "advance healthcare for the 21st century andbeyond by accelerating biomedical research discoveries, enhancingpublic health efficacy, expeditiously expanding the scientific knowledgebase, and improving medical education and clinical care."
NguyenThu Yen of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology said thatVietnam faces many challenges in disease prevention due to a lack ofclear mechanisms and inconsistent collaboration at local levels.
"Collaborationin the prevention and control of infectious diseases is largely passiveand happens only at the national level. Awareness and involvement oflocal authorities in the prevention and control of zoonosis (diseasesthat can be transmitted from animals to human) in most areas remains lowand limited," said Yen.
The workshop will focus discussions onsurveillance and research at the interface between wildlife, domesticanimals and people, as also challenges around anti microbial resistance.
Participants noted that the One Health concept has gained muchmore attention in Southeast Asia because of the rise in cross-speciesepidemics such as SARS and Avian Influenza.
With 70 percent ofemerging diseases being of animal origin, this has become a crucialissue for the region, given its rapid urbanisation and dramaticexpansion of livestock production, they said.-VNA
They agreed thatincreased collaboration was needed to prevent and fight the spread ofdiseases like avian influenza H5N1, H7N9, SARS and Ebola.
"Weshould mobilise society as a whole to participate in activities thatmanage and minimise disease-causing risks," said Tran Dac Phu, directorof the Health Ministry's Preventive Medicine Department.
Phucalled for greater co-opearation and co-ordination between nations,regions and continents in handling diseases, saying this was an urgentneed in the context of the rapid spread of Ebola virus and deaths in theWest Africa region.
The workshop is part of the One Healthinitiative, a multidisciplinary approach to achieve optimal health forpeople, animals and the environment through local, regional and globalresearch collaboration.
Proponents of the concept believe thatthe synergism achieved will "advance healthcare for the 21st century andbeyond by accelerating biomedical research discoveries, enhancingpublic health efficacy, expeditiously expanding the scientific knowledgebase, and improving medical education and clinical care."
NguyenThu Yen of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology said thatVietnam faces many challenges in disease prevention due to a lack ofclear mechanisms and inconsistent collaboration at local levels.
"Collaborationin the prevention and control of infectious diseases is largely passiveand happens only at the national level. Awareness and involvement oflocal authorities in the prevention and control of zoonosis (diseasesthat can be transmitted from animals to human) in most areas remains lowand limited," said Yen.
The workshop will focus discussions onsurveillance and research at the interface between wildlife, domesticanimals and people, as also challenges around anti microbial resistance.
Participants noted that the One Health concept has gained muchmore attention in Southeast Asia because of the rise in cross-speciesepidemics such as SARS and Avian Influenza.
With 70 percent ofemerging diseases being of animal origin, this has become a crucialissue for the region, given its rapid urbanisation and dramaticexpansion of livestock production, they said.-VNA
