Meeting of Partners on Dengue Prevention and Control in Asia-Pacific

Dr. Narongsakdi Aungkasuwapala, Deputy Permanent Secrertary, Ministry of Public Health, Royal Government of Thailand
Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia
Mr. Kritdaporn Siamphakdi, Representative of the Governor of Chang Mai Province

It is my great honour and pleasure to attend the Meeting of Partners on Dengue Prevention and Control in Asia-Pacific. On behalf of the APEC Secretariat, I would like to sincerely thank the Government of Thailand and the WHO Regional office for inviting me to participate in this important meeting.

With the goals of achieving economic development and prosperity in the region through free and open trade and investment, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has for many years since its inception focused its activities on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. However, APEC's efforts to promote trade and investment have been seriously affected by outbreaks of contagious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, Avian flu, dengue, etc. The health security, therefore, has become one of the important issues on the APEC's agenda in the past few years. This comes out from our recognition that infectious diseases, if unchecked, would exert a detrimental impact not only on the health of people, both as businessmen and consumers, but also the attainment of our main goals of economic development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

What efforts APEC has made so far in dealing with the emerging infectious diseases? In 2000, in view of the negative impact of infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, APEC Leaders expressed their strong commitment to eliminate them. Subsequently, the APEC Strategy for Combating Infectious Diseases was endorsed in 2001 for APEC member economies and relevant fora to implement. The outbreak of SARS in 2003 was another important factor for APEC to take decisive move toward the strengthening of regional cooperation for tackling emerging infectious diseases. The APEC's First Health Ministerial Meeting was convened in the same year. All this led to APEC's decision to establish its Health Task Force in 2004 as an important mechanism for efficiently and effectively combating infectious diseases in the region.

For the year 2004 and 2005, avian influenza has been the main focus of APEC health agenda given the outbreak of this critical disease in many parts of Asia-Pacific. APEC endorsed a number of initiatives and recommendations to tackle avian influenza. Collective and practical measures have been implemented. They include strengthening cooperation and technical assistance among APEC economies to contain avian influenza at its source and prevent outbreak in human beings; developing a list of available regional experts and capabilities for responding rapidly to influenza pandemic in its early stages; testing pandemic preparedness, beginning with a desk-top simulation exercise in early 2006 to test regional responses and communication networks; enhancing public and business outreach and risk communication; and exchanging information on border screening procedures and controls to increase transparency and to reduce risk to trade and people.

Avian influenza is not the only infectious disease that has adversely affected our life and business. Dengue continues to be wide-spread and detrimental disease in the region. APEC has over many years paid considerable attention to combating this disease as a part of its overall efforts to deal with infectious diseases. Actually, even before the establishment of APEC's Health Task Force, dengue had already been in its agenda and addressed by the relevant APEC fora. Several projects were been implemented with a view to improving capacity building in dengue prevention and control. In 2000 and 2001, the project "Molecular epidemiology of Dengue Viruses" was conducted. In 2003, APEC Control of Dengue Outbreaks Regional Cooperation Workshop was organized to improve knowledge and skills in fighting Dengue Fever/DHF outbreaks through mutual cooperation among APEC member economies. Those projects were instrumental for improvement of information and experience sharing on surveillance, prevention and control of the disease in the case of its outbreak. In 2005, the project "Avian influenza and Dengue Training Course and Symposium" was conducted by APEC members and its outcomes were presented at the meeting of the Health Task Force in Hanoi in March 2006 where the importance of continuing work to deal with dengue in the region was once again emphasized.

With all its efforts to combat infectious diseases and pandemics over the past years, APEC has recorded the following important achievements:

Awareness raising. In view of those serious infectious diseases, which broke out in the past years or which would potentially break out, APEC has engaged in many activities to raise the public awareness about the detrimental consequences of those pandemics, including dengue, and the importance of controlling them for the sake of economic growth and wellbeing of our people. There are now both a firm political commitment by the APEC Leaders and high level of public awareness on the necessity of efficiently and effectively dealing with the infectious diseases.

Capacity building. Since 1999, APEC members have implemented nearly 30 projects related to the health issue. Those projects have been significant for the capacity building since they help strengthen surveillance and control of new infectious diseases, including dengue, and their outbreaks in the APEC region, improving the ability to monitor and evaluate the situation, providing information and training on surveillance, prevention and management of emerging infectious diseases.

Cooperation networking. Since the past few years, especially with the holding of the First Health Ministerial Meeting in 2003 and the establishment of the Health Task Force in 2004, APEC has been able to form a region-wide network of health officials among member economies so as to promote effective regional cooperation through sharing knowledge, experience and expertise in early alerting and controlling the outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Improved preparedness: The readiness and capability of APEC members to cope with infectious diseases, including dengue, and pandemics have improved substantially through the constant awareness raising, improved capacity of individual member economies and higher level of coordination among health officials, which have broad cooperation network throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The mandate of APEC's Health Task Force is to tackle infectious diseases in the APEC region. As the dengue is one of the serious communicable diseases with the potentiality to exert a very negative impact on the economic development and wellbeing of the people, APEC will continue to deal with it in an appropriate manner. Given the fast communicable potential of those infectious diseases and the increasing need of people's movement across the borders, the fight against infectious diseases and pandemics, including dengue, would only be rendered successful with the concerted efforts of all members of our region and close cooperation with international community. The WHO has a special and noble mission in the common fight against diseases for the sake of a healthy mankind. APEC and WHO can reap more benefits from the closer cooperation with each other and, at the same time, make meaningful contribution to this common endeavour. With this in mind, I would like to congratulate the organizers for their successful efforts to hold this Meeting of Partners on Dengue Prevention and Control in Asia-Pacific. I wish the meeting a great success.

Thank you.