U.S.-CDC Supports Workshop to Enhance Collaboration across Vietnam Ministries for Zoonotic Disease Surveillance and Research

HANOI – Delegates from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) have agreed to cooperate and collaborate on zoonotic disease surveillance and research, including current and future U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported Animal-Human Interface (AHI) activities.

CDC supported the workshop chaired by Dr. Hien Tran Nguyen, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), and attended by representatives from various MOH and MARD departments from north, central, and south Vietnam. The attendees discussed the need for a collaborative mechanism between Ministries to enhance the already existing cooperation between NIHE and the MARD Department of Animal Health (DAH).

Supporting the One Health concept of human health and animal health cooperation, NIHE and DAH partner with CDC Vietnam’s Influenza Program through cooperative agreements on surveillance and research activities related to influenza and other zoonotic diseases. This includes AHI activities to identify risk factors for the cross-species transmission of influenza, such as avian influenza and the pandemic influenza 2009 virus strain.

Following Dr. Nguyen’s recommendations, MOH and MARD representatives signed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) to establish the collaborative mechanism between public health and animal health sectors for AHI surveillance and research activities.  Participating in the workshop and attending the signing ceremony were Dr. BK Kapella and Dr. James Kile from CDC’s Influenza Program, along with several representatives of MOH and MARD.

“The LOA shows the strong commitment of both MOH and MARD to work together to fight influenza and other emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases in Vietnam. Along with the continued assistance and support of the CDC, I hope this will contribute to the knowledge and recommendations for public health and animal health in Vietnam”, said Dr. Nguyen.

By strengthening inter- and intra-ministerial relationships, this new LOA builds upon a Letter of Intent signed between CDC and MARD in April 2010. The agreement is expected to streamline existing mechanisms that will assure successful research, as well as disease investigation and control efforts across Vietnam at the national, provincial and local levels. More efficient sharing of information and materials will facilitate effective and timely responses with high quality epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory results. Such cooperation will enhance AHI activities supported by CDC and other external donors. 

The United States has been the biggest bilateral donor for influenza related activities in Vietnam, with over US $70 million since 2005. CDC embodies the One Health concept by supporting a medical epidemiologist (BK Kapella, MD) and a veterinary medical epidemiologist (James Kile, DVM) in the Vietnam Influenza Program.