Thursday 2 December 2010

MBDS Newsletter 3/2009

Newsletter 309

MBDS Newsletter 2/2009

Newsletter 209

MBDS Newsletter 1/2009

Newsletter 109

Background of MBDS

The Mekong Basin is the home of six countries: the Kingdom of Cambodia, Yunnan province of People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Union of Myanmar, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the Kingdom of Thailand. After a meeting in Bangkok in February 1999, delegates from all countries agreed to start collaboration in Disease Surveillance under the name Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS). Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China became the member of MBDS region in February 2008.
     
The general objective is to strengthen national and Mekong sub-regional capabilities in disease surveillance and response to outbreaks of priority diseases, in order that they can be effectively controlled. Priority diseases are vaccine preventable diseases, e.g., Malaria, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Fever, Cholera, and outbreaks of those of unknown etiologies.

    
The three specific objectives or program areas have been proposed which include:

1. Strengthen sustainable national capacity in disease surveillance, outbreak
    investigation and responses;

2. Strengthen health manpower development in field epidemiology;

3. Establishment of a sub-regional surveillance network. 


MBDS Region
Land area         : 2,570,426 sq km
Population        : 313,642,000


Cambodia  
Land area         : 181,035 sq km
Population        :  14,805,358 (2009)

Yunnan Province, China
Land area         : 394,000 sq km
Population        : 45,710,000 (2009)

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Land area         : 236,700 sq km
Population        : 48,670,000 (2009)

Lao PDR
Land area         : 237,000 sq km
Population        : 6,320,429 (2009)

Myanmar
Land area         : 677,000 sq km
Population        : 50,019,775 (2009)

Thailand
Land area         : 513,000 sq km
Population        : 67,764,033 (2009)

Vietnam
Land area         : 331,691 sq km
Population        : 87,279,754 (2009)

Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators, Wikipedia