Strengthening global health security capacity--Vietnam demonstration project, 2013.
Over the past decade, Vietnam has successfully responded to global health security (GHS) challenges, including domestic elimination of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and rapid public health responses to human infections with influenza A(H5N1) virus. However, new threats such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and influenza A(H7N9) present continued challenges, reinforcing the need to improve the global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. In June 2012, Vietnam, along with many other nations, obtained a 2-year extension for meeting core surveillance and response requirements of the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR). During March-September 2013, CDC and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH) collaborated on a GHS demonstration project to improve public health emergency detection and response capacity. The project aimed to demonstrate, in a short period, that enhancements to Vietnam's health system in surveillance and early detection of and response to diseases and outbreaks could contribute to meeting the IHR core capacities, consistent with the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases. Work focused on enhancements to three interrelated priority areas and included achievements in 1) establishing an emergency operations center (EOC) at the General Department of Preventive Medicine with training of personnel for public health emergency management; 2) improving the nationwide laboratory system, including enhanced testing capability for several priority pathogens (i.e., those in Vietnam most likely to contribute to public health emergencies of international concern); and 3) creating an emergency response information systems platform, including a demonstration of real-time reporting capability. Lessons learned included awareness that integrated functions within the health system for GHS require careful planning, stakeholder buy-in, and intradepartmental and interdepartmental coordination and communication.
Phu Dac
PD
Tran
Long Ngoc
LN
Vu
Hien Tran
HT
Nguyen
Lan Trong
LT
Phan
Wayne
W
Lowe
Michelle S
MS
McConnell
Michael F
MF
Iademarco
Jeffrey M
JM
Partridge
James C
JC
Kile
Trang
T
Do
Patrick J
PJ
Nadol
Hien
H
Bui
Diep
D
Vu
Kyle
K
Bond
David B
DB
Nelson
Lauren
L
Anderson
Kenneth V
KV
Hunt
Nicole
N
Smith
Paul
P
Giannone
John
J
Klena
Denise
D
Beauvais
Kristi
K
Becknell
Jordan W
JW
Tappero
Scott F
SF
Dowell
Peter
P
Rzeszotarski
May
M
Chu
Carl
C
Kinkade
D057191:Capacity Building / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014481:United States; D014744:Vietnam; D014944:World Health Organization