Asian Development Fund $49 million project to control infectious diseases Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (Mekong Delta)

[Sally Furniss]

Updated at: 11:22 AM, 24/11/2010
ADB to help control infectious diseases
Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced $ 49 million for the project to control infectious diseases in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Clearly informed of this project to expand and strengthen the surveillance system and response to control dengue fever as well as preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and improve supply health services and communities in disease control in 116 districts bordering the three countries.

ADB said that the syndrome infectious diseases such as acute respiratory infections (SARS), avian influenza, H1N1 has a major impact on labor productivity, trade and tourism in Asia and will continue to be a threat to public health. In addition, dengue fever and other infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid, HIV / AIDS and tropical diseases such as Japanese encephalitis and schistosomiasis are the major disease burden.

According to medical experts of ADB's Southeast Asia Department Vincent de Wit, to prevent the spread of these diseases requires the active participation of local and regional cooperation more intensive.

Funding for the project shall be deducted from the Asian Development Fund, which supported Vietnam $ 27 million, Cambodia and Laos U.S. $ 10 million $ 12 million. Ministry of Health in each country responsible for project implementation and coordination units set out in Vientiane (Laos). The project ended in 2016. /.

http://vovnews.vn/Home/ADB-giup-kiem-soat-benh-truyen-nhiem/201011/161415.vov

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Asian Development Fund $49 million for the project to control infectious diseases in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

The Second Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Regional Communicable Diseases Control Project, which is an offshoot of the first GMS Regional Communicable Diseases Control Project, will also target improvements in the capacity of health services and communities involved in disease control in border districts of the three countries.

“Preventing these diseases requires better local participation and much more intensive regional cooperation,” said Vincent de Wit, lead health professional in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department. He emphasized the necessity of a quick response system and that bringing communicable diseases under control requires cross-border cooperation.
The community-based communicable disease control systems funded by the project are aimed at around 1.7 million people living in 116 border districts in the three countries. About one-third of the population in the target areas belong to ethnic minority groups.


The earlier GMS Regional Communicable Diseases Control Project, initiated in 2005 in partnership with the World Health Organization, came at a timely moment, coinciding with the outbreak of avian influenza, an escalation of dengue, and an emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Lao PDR. It helped strengthen provincial surveillance in the three Mekong countries and gave provinces greater capacity and emergency funding to respond swiftly to disease outbreaks resulting in reduced deaths, medical costs and economic losses.
The new project will build on earlier successes to strengthen surveillance and response mechanisms. Financing will come from ADB’s concessional Asian Development Fund with a loan of $27 million for Viet Nam and grants of $10 million for Cambodia and $12 million for Lao PDR. The three countries will provide counterpart support totaling $5 million equivalent.
The Ministry of Health in each country will be the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion in June 2016. The regional coordination unit will be based in Vientiane.

http://www.ttkn.com/health/adb-to-improve-dengue-disease-monitoring-in-three-mekong-countries-6136.html