(KPL) Senior officials from the Ministry of Health, the Embassy of the United States in Laos and the World Health Organization conducted a commencement ceremony for eight graduates of the 14th Field Epidemiology Training Programmeme (FETP) on April 26 in Vientiane.

The FETP programme strengthens the Lao PDR’s capacity to conduct infectious disease biosurveillance and response, enabling Lao health officials to detect and respond to disease outbreaks including COVID-19, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Avian influenza, and other diseases.

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization, in partnership with the Lao Ministry of Health’s Department of Communicable Disease Control and National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology have jointly supported the FETP.

As of April 2024, 110 field staff have successfully completed this one-year training course, with 38 alumni from the national level, 53 from provincial level, and 19 from district level.

“As we saw during Laos’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, FET graduates make a real difference in the health and safety of Laos’ citizens.  We are proud to support this programme, and to contribute to the continued improvement of health services in the country,” said Michelle Y. Outlaw, Chargée d’Affaires, a.i. of the U.S. Embassy to the Lao PDR.

 “The contributions by the FET programme have been recognized not only by local and national health authorities, but also internationally. I offer my sincere congratulations to the FET graduates for their successful completion of the FET course. I hope you bring the skills you have learned back to your institutions and work areas to contribute to strengthening health security in the Lao PDR,” said Dr. Keopaseuth, Vice Minister of Health.

 “Today marks a significant milestone for protecting communities and the nation, as we celebrate additional epidemiologists who will reinforce the country’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies,” said Dr. Timothy Peter Armstrong, Acting WHO Representative. “We congratulate the Ministry of Health for its unwavering commitment to improving the nation’s capacity to detect and respond to disease outbreaks and to strengthening health security in the Lao PDR.”

FETP graduates play a crucial role in the health sector, contributing to communicable disease prevention and control through biosurveillance activities, investigating cases, and collecting samples. Graduates provide recommendations to policy makers to address and improve disease prevention and control measures. They also assist in outbreak response by conducting contact tracing and interviews to ascertain disease etiology. To date, FETP students and alumni have responded to approximately 500 outbreaks in all 17 provinces and Vientiane, significantly strengthening the epidemiology capacity within the country.

KPL