WORLDWIDE ZIKA EXPERTS GATHER IN BALI

Today top Zika experts are meeting in Bali, Indonesia. The meeting organised by the Asia Partnership on Emerging Infectious Disease Research (APEIR) and the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Consortium (MBDS) will consider how to improve Zika detection and response.

APEIR and MBDS are part of the Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) charity which works to reduce and prevent the spread of infectious diseases by exchanging information between surveillance systems globally. Its networks cover South East Europe, the Middle East, Asia, including the Mekong Basin, East Africa and South Africa.

Participants from 15 countries including Vietnam, Singapore and Brazil, will work together to manage the risk of Zika transportation across borders and mitigate against a larger global outbreak through collaborative research and surveillance.

The event will be opened by Dr. Sigit Priohutomo from the Ministry of Human Development Sustainability in Indonesia and will include the views of experts from Brazil and Singapore, countries who have experienced recent outbreaks.