Projects between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other countries' organizations have resulted in improvements in both disease detection and response; the findings could contribute to "global health security."
The six-month intensive collaboration worked to modernize testing for "high-risk" pathogens, this would allow for better response times in emergency situations, a CDC news release reported. The CDC worked with Uganda's Ministry of Health and Vietnam's Ministry of Health.
"The health security of the United States is only as strong as the health security of all nations around the world. We are all connected by the food we eat, the water we drink, and air we breathe," CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H, said in the news release. "Stopping outbreaks where they start is the most effective and least costly way to prevent disease and save lives at home and abroad - and it's the right thing to do. Progress in Uganda in less than a year shows how effective strategic investments can be."
Current threats to global health security include antibiotic-resistant bacteria, re-emerging pathogens, and biological weapons.
The group demonstrated the success of their efforts to help Uganda and Vietnam meet World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR).The team focused primarily on "MDR and XDR-TB, cholera, and viral hemorrhagic fever." They also performed a public health preparedness exercise.
"Uganda and Vietnam have faced unique health challenges. Uganda has experienced Ebola, Marburg, cholera and MDR-TB outbreaks, and Vietnam has experienced SARS and H5N1 outbreaks," CDC Director for Global Health, Tom Kenyon, M.D, M.P.H, said in the news release. "Their success at rapidly adding new disease detection and response skills suggests that similar efforts could work for other countries. This is important in a world that regularly sees new pathogens, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and H7N9 influenza."
