EMBASSY NEWS & EVENTS (2009)
U.S. and Thai Government Co-Host Conference on Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases
The Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held a scientific conference on Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases on June 25-26, 2009 at the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok.
The U.S. Ambassador Eric G. John presided over the opening ceremony on June 25. Partnering for this seminal event on Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases were the Major General Krisada, Director General, AFRIMS; COL James W. Boles, Commander, U.S.-AFRIMS; Dr. Michael Malison, Director, Thailand MOPH – U.S. CDC Collaboration (TUC) and U.S. CDC Regional Office, Thailand; and Dr. Susan Maloney, Director, International Emerging Infections Program (IEIP) and Global Disease Detection (GDD) Center, TUC, U.S. CDC Regional Office.
Initial reviews of the 1st AFRIMS-CDC Scientific Conference on Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases indicate it was a resounding success. Approximately 170 public health scientists from Thailand and the Asia-Pacific region joined this inaugural scientific conference to share scientific information on emerging and reemerging infectious diseases which currently pose public health threats to the region. In addition to updating their knowledge on regionally important diseases such as dengue, influenza, malaria, and chikungunya, participants also learned about national and regional partners and activities, and discussed ways to foster research collaborations and programmatic networking. Read more about the conference here.