The Meeting proceedings from the “Expert Meeting on Regional Integration and Infectious Diseases” (18 – 20 May 2010 in Luxembourg) highlight the assessment of regional mechanisms in controlling infectious diseases. The proceedings also outline recommendations for further collaboration between Asia and Europe.
This Meeting was organised by the ASEF Public Health Network. A group of experts from regional institutions, international organisations, national agencies, research institutes and civil society organisations participated in this meeting. They introduced current initiatives on a wide range of fields such as vaccines strategies, communication, and international cooperation. They also shared experiences from the outbreak of H1N1 influenza pandemic.
The Meeting allowed ASEF to explore possibilities to strengthen Asian-Europe collaboration on public health. One of the recommendations was to provide a long-term platform for Asian and European researchers. This platform will help exchange of information and experience to formulate evidence-based policies and programmes. Thus ASEF launched a joint research initiative (2011) through an open call for proposals. This will commence a series of research exchange workshop in 2012.
The Expert Meeting was organised with the support of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG-SANCO) of the European Commission.
For more information, please contact Mr Rachmat Irwansjah at Rachmat.irwansjah@asef.org.