Joined this training, including Dr. Nguyen Hung – Director of Phu Yen Preventive Medicine Centre, Dr. Do Quang Trung – Director of Dong Xuan District Health Centre and 24 staffs from village to district level.

By the end of training, all of the investigators were competent and ready to collect information at three study communes, namely Xuan Lanh, Xuan Quang 1, Phu Mo, Dong Xuan district, Phu Yen province during September 2016.

Dr. Ngo Duc Thang – Director of Epidemiology Department of NIMPE gave opening speech.

BA. Pham Thi Huong – CHD staff gave a presentation at the training

BA. Le Si Phu – a staff of Phu Yen Preventive Medicine Centre shared experience at the training.

Assistant Doctor, La Lan Leo – Head of Commune Health Station at Phu Mo, Dong Xuan, Phu Yen.

A village health worker, Vo Thi Kim Thuy at Lanh Van village, Xuan Lanh commune, Dong Xuan, Phu Yen.

Dr. Dang Viet Dung – epidemiology expert at NIMPE gave guides on how to complete the questionnaire.

Content and pictures by: Hoang Yen.

Location: Phu Yen, Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc and Gia Lai Provinces

Donor: Naval Medical Research Centre – Asia (NMRC-A) through Vysnova Partners, Inc. (Vysnova)

Project objectives:

To establish and pilot surveillance-response systems for elimination of malaria in Viet Nam, including (i) conducting genetic studies to identify drug resistance malaria parasites; (ii) development and validation of new control strategies, tools and approaches for the surveillance-response systems

Research Activity 1: Tracking Occurrences of Transported Organisms (TOTO).

Expected outcomes:
• Provides information on the genetic characteristics of malaria strains currently circulating in Vietnam and the risk factors for anti-malarial drug resistance for physicians and other national and international health organizations.

Research Activity 2: Molecular and genetic epidemiology for malaria in drug resistant areas of Viet Nam: A case-control study of risk factors.

Expected outcomes:
• Identification of risk factors for malaria and anti-malarial drug resistance
• Quantification of the potential for spread of malaria and antimalarial drug resistance through human movement to other locations.
• Identification and reconstruction of pattern of spread of drug resistant malaria, particularly targeting multidrug resistant P. falciparum malaria, in Viet Nam

Research Activity 3: Description of clinical malaria disease patterns and trends in Viet Nam 2009-2015 and analysis of clinical malaria disease patterns and trends in Phu Yen Province, Viet Nam 2005 – 2016

Expected outcomes:
• To determine the plausible factors responsible for resurgence of malaria and this information can be used by national VBDCP for preventive activities in future.
• To establish the underlying factors associated with successful malaria reduction to zero cases in Dong Xuan district under Phu Yen province and replicate it in other districts.

Research Activity 4: Seroepidemiological approaches to enhance malaria surveillance in Vietnam

Expected outcomes:
• Estimation of frequency and incidence of parasite infection in Gia Lai Province using a cross-sectional sero-surveillance study
• Identification of risk factors (e.g., exposures, behaviors, practices) between those infected and non-infected