Communicable disease control improving but more work needed

While Laos has seen improvements in communicable disease control, the sector needs to train more doctors and nurses in the field in order to maintain the overall health of the population.
Training will be an opportunity to introduce the epidemic prevention platform, develop health information systems and strengthen capacity in reporting disease outbreaks during emergencies in order to effectively manage public health in times of crisis.
This was the message from the Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control of the Ministry of Health, Dr Sisavath Soutthaniraxay, when he spoke at a recent signing ceremony for assistance between the ministry and the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare.
Strengthening communicable diseases control across the country includes enhancing disease surveillance, risk assessment, and response systems through the training of field epidemiologists as well as providing consultation in relevant issues, he said.
We admit that there is a shortage of doctors and medics trained in this field, he said. “I believe that cooperation with donors will help prevent communicable diseases and promote health and wellbeing among Lao people and successive generations,” he added.
A senior official from the Ministry of Health said the lack of officials working to prevent and control communicable diseases was one reason for the high incidence of disease.
He said health officials can help communities to prevent and manage communicable diseases, working at national, provincial and community hospitals and with community leaders.
Laos has taken steps to monitor the spread of communicable diseases by setting up a hotline centre and identifying areas of epidemics to alleviate the effects and severity of disease outbreaks.
Under the Law on the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases, a person suffering from such a disease may be hospitalised without his or her consent if the person is deemed dangerous to others and has refused treatment or violated the treatment regime
For several years the Ministry of Health has been creating regulations in line with government policy for the control and prevention of communicable diseases, with a focus on local communities and target provinces.
Greater emphasis was placed on communicable diseases following the SARS and H5N1 outbreaks in 2003, which were a serious health threat in Asia.   
In 2005 the World Health Organisation published the International Health Regulations in a bid to strengthen infectious disease control.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update April 5, 2019)