The United States and the Mekong countries have collaborated for 15 years. This year, that long connection resulted in the Michigan State University (MSU) Mekong One Health Innovation Program (MOHIP) partnership with Lao One Health University Network (LAOHUN) to organize the Regional One Health Symposium – Sharing Experiences of Mekong One Health Innovation Program and Way Forward: Strengthening Health Security of the Lower Mekong Subregion – May 13-15 at the Lao Plaza Hotel in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
The symposium reached a significant milestone and was a testament to the program's commitment to collaboration, innovation and the future of One Health education, research and policy implications. In fact, the MSU and LAOHUN event teams also collaborated with the Southeast Asian One Health Network (SEAOHUN), Thailand One Health University Network (THOHUN) and Vietnam One Health University Network (VOHUN) for the May program.
Since MOHIP's inception in October 2022, the group has organized 13 webinars shared with hundreds of audiences in the lower Mekong countries and beyond, including researchers, students, government officials, clinicians, veterinarians, community health workers and others interested in learning about One Health and related research and practices. In addition, the project offered a comprehensive online short course on "Health Security, One Health, and Zoonoses" in two batches in 2023 and 2024 to more than 250 students and professionals from the three countries. The project has also sponsored three research projects on One Health in the three countries and will sponsor another three in 2024.
The principle of One Health stresses the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health. MOHIP’s goal is to strengthen health security through capacity building in research and education to employ a One Health approach and connect Mekong One Health researchers, practitioners and educators with their counterparts in the U.S.
“Challenges continue to exist to build a cohesive public health security system for human, animal and environmental health with multiple sectors and stakeholders in government, research, education and the public,” said Qing Xia, Ph.D., associate director for global health education and research at the Institute for Global Health (IGH) at MSU, and a member of the MOHIP leadership team. “However, it is encouraging to see interested participants with resolve to continue the work together for a better future.”
MOHIP is funded by the U.S. Department of State with a budget of $857,026 and covers three countries in the lower Mekong subregion: Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam. The MOHIP leadership team includes Ramjee Ghimire, Ph.D., Qing Xia, Ph.D. and Furqan Irfan, Ph.D., MBBS (M.D.), all of whom are part of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Institute for Global Health.
In her opening remarks at May’s symposium, U.S. Ambassador in Lao PDR Heather Roach Variava emphasized health security is a critical area that we all need to pay attention to and invest in as we live in an increasingly intricately connected world. “The Mekong region stands at a crossroads, grappling with a broad range of health threats that transcend borders and disciplines. From the impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization to the emergence of zoonotic diseases, the health of the Mekong region is closely intertwined with the health of its people, animals and environment,” she said. “Now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for coordinated action and collective solution that uphold the principles of One Health.”
The program included three breakout sessions and three panels on health security, One Health, and the future steps for the transnational network of One Health researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. Topics included health security and emerging threats to the lower Mekong subregion, such as infectious diseases, climate change, noncommunicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and others from the One Health approach.
The MOHIP stakeholders will convene again in the fall of 2025 to evaluate the program's impact and strategize for the next steps of the transnational One Health network in Southeast Asia.
By Terri Hughes-Lazzell