Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS): A Trust-Based Network

Abstract

The Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS) network was formally established in 2001 through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by six Ministers of Health of the countries in the Greater Mekong sub-region: Cambodia, China (Yunnan and Guangxi), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The main areas of focus of the network are to: i) improve cross-border infectious disease outbreak investigation and response by sharing surveillance data and best practices in disease recognition and reporting, and by jointly responding to outbreaks; ii) develop expertise in epidemiological surveillance across the countries; and iii) enhance communication between the countries. Comprised of senior health officials, epidemiologists, health practitioners, and other professionals, the MBDS has grown and matured over the years into an entity based on mutual trust that can be sustained into the future. Other regions have started emulating the network's pioneering work. In this paper, we describe the development of MBDS, the way in which it operates today, and some of its achievements. We present key challenges the network has faced and lessons its members have learned about how to develop sufficient trust for health and other professionals to alert each other to disease threats across national borders and thereby more effectively combat these threats.

Surveillance for Emerging Diseases with Multiplexed Point-of-Care Diagnostics

“…An extensive consideration of political and economic realities is essential to the success of biosurveillance systems and was identified as a part of the Rockefeller Foundation initiative promoting regional surveillance networks. 8,39 Descriptions, lessons learned, and suggestions of paths forward were provided by the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network, 40 the East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Network, 41 the South-Eastern European Health Network, 42 the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance, 43 the Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research, 44 the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance, 45 and the REASAOLAB project involving clinical laboratories in West Africa. 46 One consistent issue with all of these efforts is how to sustain the long-term activity and continuity in training and interactions that is so crucial to the productivity and trust necessary for crisis response.…”

Creating a Global Dialogue on Infectious Disease Surveillance: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS)

“…Driven by that incentive and with the support and partnership of NTI, the Rockefeller Foundation, Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Fondation Mérieux, and the Skoll Global Threats Fund, the leaders of six existing regional disease surveillance networks founded CORDS. The six networks, all of which are described in detail elsewhere in this issue (see also Table 1) are: Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network (MBDS) (15), East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Network (EAIDSNet) (16), South Eastern European Health Network (SEEHN) (17), Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS) (18), Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Disease Research (APEIR) (19), and Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) (20). During CORDS's early years, NTI served the role of interim secretariat; Fondation Mérieux provided a home in Annecy, France, for convening CORDS.…”

“…The H5N1 pandemic threat in 2007 was a good example of informal communication facilitating a joint outbreak investigation between two countries in different WHO regions (15). The Thai team informed the Laos team immediately after the index case, in a Laotian girl, was diagnosed in Nong Khai province in Thailand, opposite the capital of Laos PDR, Vientiane.…”

Multinational Disease Surveillance Programs: Promoting Global Information Exchange for Infectious Diseases

“…We contacted representatives from 16 MNDSPs via e-mail and obtained responses from 12 programs (response rate: 75%) spanning most continents (Figure 1). Among 12 programs surveyed, seven used English as a standard language for official communications (Table 1).…”

“…Additional information on select networks included in our survey is available elsewhere. [15][16][17][18][19][20] Fourth, our survey characterized general mechanisms for sharing program updates and reports and actions taken upon receipt of a multinational case report, but did not obtain detailed information on mechanisms for sharing case notifications. Finally, our survey instrument was offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese only, which could account for the overrepresentation of English-speaking MNDSPs.…”