Successful EU-SEA vector borne diseases workshop held in Singapore
EXPERTS FROM EU AND SOUTHEAST ASIA DISCUSS NEW STRATEGIES TO COMBAT DISEASES LIKE DENGUE, MALARIA, CHIKUNGUNYA
1. More than 20 outstanding scientists and experts from leading research centres, universities and hospitals in the European Union (EU) and Southeast Asia discussed topics such as virology, parasitology, transmission, diagnostics, and treatment and prevention strategies of vector-borne diseases at the “EU-Southeast Asia Expert Meeting on Vector-Borne Diseases” at Biopolis today. Organised by the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and jointly sponsored by SEA-EU-NET and the UK-Singapore Partners in Science programme, the two-day meeting (27 – 28 Jul 2009) brought together 200 researchers from EU and the region.
2. Professor Sir Roy Anderson[1], distinguished epidemiologist and Rector of Imperial College London, delivered the first keynote lecture. Drawing on his extensive experience in working with government departments, pharmaceutical companies, international aid agencies, as well as research collaborations with developed and developing nations, he spoke on ways to manage and tackle the threats posed by fast-spreading and emerging infectious agents in an increasingly populous and globalised world.
3. Other topics discussed at the symposium include:
a/ “Threats and opportunities from vector-borne diseases for Southeast Asia” – a keynote lecture by Professor Yongyuth Yuthavong[2], from the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Bangkok, Thailand. Professor Yuthavong spoke about the socio-economic and environmental factors that surround vector-borne diseases in Southeast Asia, and how the developing region might turn socio-economic threats into opportunities for strengthening capabilities in R&D for new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines.
b/ “Global warming and malaria re-emergence in Portugal” – a talk by Professor Virgílio Estόlio do Rosário from the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal - Professor do Rosário discussed how the EDEN (Emerging Diseases in a Changing European Environment) international network aimed to address the problems of environmental and climatic change as well as emerging infectious diseases. In particular, he presented data from studies on malaria, and shared insights on how scientists and health authorities should work together to improve the understanding of data, standardisation of different study techniques and dissemination of results.
c/ “Dengue and chikungunya: A major shift in approach to contain these diseases is desperately needed” – a talk by Professor Sazaly AbuBakar[3] from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia. Professor Sazaly spoke about the disease epidemiology of dengue and chikungunya, and how the patterns of spread of these diseases have evolved in regions of Southeast Asia over the years. He also stressed the urgent need for effective approaches to contain the spread of these diseases.
d/“A network approach to vector-borne diseases: the impact of DENFRAME and the International Network of Pasteur Institutes” – a talk by Dr Roberto Bruzzone[4] from HKU-Pasteur Research Centre, Hong Kong SAR. Dr Bruzzone discussed how international research networks such as DENFRAME and the International Network of Pasteur Institutes played key roles in the management of infectious diseases world-wide. The former had contributed to the management of dengue disease in Latin America and Asia, while the latter had launched a surveillance programme for the clinical recognition and diagnosis of infections of the human central nervous system in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China.
4. Said, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, “This is a timely meeting. The Influenza Type A H1N1 pandemic is with us and poised for a second wave. The world scientific community has generally responded well to the threat by sharing information, materials and working together. This meeting serves to foster this same spirit of sharing and collaboration by bringing together scientists from EU and Southeast Asia to share research findings on and exchange ideas on solutions to vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and malaria – formally more known to occur in the tropics. I trust that these discussions will lead to new research collaborations and spawn innovations that will advance our knowledge of the diseases and enhance human healthcare delivery.”
5. Ms Amanda Brooks, Deputy High Commissioner of the British High Commission, Singapore, said, “The EU-Southeast Asia Expert Meeting on Vector-Borne Diseases will help to identify opportunities for research collaborations and further, facilitate the forming of consortia, which can bid into the European Commission collaborative research fund, FP7. We are delighted to partner SIgN in supporting this important workshop and hope the resulting collaborations will help to combat the threat posed by vector-borne diseases – an increasing danger to both developed and developing countries alike.”
6. Added Professor Philippe Kourilsky, Chairman of SIgN, “We are happy to organise this workshop and bring together world renowned scientists from the EU and Southeast Asia to share about their research on vector-borne diseases. This is in line with SIgN’s objectives – to collaborate with, and leverage on, the expertise of our local and international partners to establish immunology as a core capability in Singapore, as well as participate in international efforts to solve major health problems.”
Background
7. Vector-borne diseases are infectious diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, sand-flies and rodents. Amongst others, they include dengue, malaria, chikungunya and encephalitis, which are a rising concern in developing and developed nations. Vector-borne diseases put up to 80% of the world’s population at risk of infection, with approximately 500 million reported cases a year. Due to factors like climate and environmental changes, globalisation and the increasing international travel and trade that it brings, the spread of vector-borne diseases are no longer confined to specific regions of the world as before.
8. An example of how globalisation can drive the spread of vector-borne diseases is the international spread of the Aedes albopictus mosquito (also known as the Asian Tiger mosquito), which has been linked to outbreaks of chikungunya fever. Previously found in the tropics, this species of mosquito has spread across large parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas in recent decades. It has also spread to some parts of Europe, including most of Italy, causing an outbreak in Ravenna, Italy in 2007 that affected nearly 250 people.
[1] Professor Sir Roy Anderson is Rector and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London. He also chairs the science advisory board of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Neglected Tropical Diseases programme, is a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenges advisory board, and chairs the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative advisory board funded by the Gates Foundation. He is a non-executive director of GlaxoSmithKline. He was also Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence from 2004 to 2007.
[2] Professor Yuthavong served as Minister of Science and Technology in Thailand from 2006 to 2008, after which he returned to his research career. In 2006, The Nation newspaper named him one of 35 most influential Thais over the past 35 years. He is also known for his work on developing anti-malarial drug targets.
[3] Professor Sazaly is the Head of Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya and Director of the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre. He is also the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Research and Reference (DF/DHF).
[4] Dr Roberto Bruzzone is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the HKU-Pasteur Research Centre. He is also the Scientific Coordinator of the SISEA Programme of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes — a network programme and public health project supported by the French Development Agency, for the surveillance and investigation of respiratory infections and acute encephalitis syndromes. He is also on the Executive Bureau of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MEETING WAS HELD BACK TO BACK WITH A WORKSHOP IN MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Related Countries:
EU, ASEAN, Southeast Asia, Asia in general
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