Program and Event

U.S. Medical Expert Team Visits Laos

from left: Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Chanhthaphone Oudomsouk, NEIDCO Director Dr. Bounlay Phommasack center, and U.S. Ambassador to Laos Ravic Huso.

The United States Embassy is sponsored the visit of a United States Pacific Command (PACOM) team of medical experts to Laos during the week of 08 June to work with the National Avian and Human Influenza Coordinating Office (NAHICO) in conducting a 4-day disease surveillance workshop. The PACOM team was organized by the Office of International Health at Thirteenth Air Force from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Supporting the PACOM team with disease surveillance expertise was the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) from Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop was organized by the National Avian and Human Influenza Coordinating Office (NAHICO) to provide an overview to 40 specialists from the Military Medical Department (MMD) and Ministry of Health (MOH) on the laboratory and epidemiology concepts in disease surveillance. This workshop was the opening event of a cooperative program with PACOM and NAHICO to enhance disease surveillance capacity within the MMD, improving the capability of health experts within the Lao PDR to detect, respond and contain infectious diseases. The program was made possible via the generous support of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center/Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response Systems (AFHSC/DOD-GEIS).