Thailand – CDC’s Partnership toward Global Health Security

On February 29, 2016, Ambassador Pisan Manawapat met with Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta to discuss cooperation on global health security, epidemiology training, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, non-communicable diseases and other important health issues. Dr. Tippavan Nagahchinta, a Thai medical doctor working with CDC for more than 20 years, also attended the meeting.

Ambassador Pisan underscored that health is an important element of Thailand – U.S.’ strategic partnership.  During the Special ASEAN-U.S. Summit on February 15 – 16, 2016 in Sunnylands, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha commended the U.S. leadership in successfully combating Ebola at its source and raised with President Obama an excellent collaboration between the Thai Ministry of Public Health and the U.S. CDC. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Thailand’s continued support as both a leading and contributing country for President Obama’s Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Initiative to prevent, detect and respond to health threats.

The Ambassador also told Dr. Frieden Thailand is proud to be the first country that partnered with CDC under the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). Thailand will continue to strengthen its capacity, with support from CDC, to expand this program to participants from other countries.

Dr. Frieden emphasized CDC’s not only just long but also deep relationship with Thailand and the country’s active role under the GHSA. Thailand is an experienced and valued partner of the U.S. on regional and global health security. Dr. Frieden also expressed CDC’s readiness to support Thailand in this regard as it also contributes to health promotion in the Southeast Asian region.

The Ambassador also visited CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that has served as a command center for monitoring and coordinating CDC’s response to public health threats in the U.S. and abroad since 2003. Thailand also sent medical personnel to be trained at the EOC to support the establishment of a similar center in Thailand.

 

 

 

 

Thailand and the U.S. celebrated the 35^th anniversary of collaboration between the Thai Ministry of Public Health and CDC last year. CDC started its program in Thailand in 1980 with the Field Epidemiology Training Program. Other notable programs include HIV/AIDS research collaboration in 1990, immigrant, refugee and migrant health in 2006, and programs on non-communicable diseases and malaria in 2012.

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Thanida Menasavet

1 March 2016