Programs and Events 2007

US CDC turns over Personal Protective Equipment and other equipment to the Ministry of Health

Deputy Chief of Mission Mary Grace McGeehan with Vice Minister of Health Dr. Bounkouang Phichith.

Dr. Andrew Corwin, US Center for Disease Control, and DCM McGeehan donate Protective equipment to Vice Minister Bouankouang and Chief of the Cabinet Mrs. Chanthanom Manotham.

On February 27, 2007 Dr. Andrew Corwin of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention donated personal protective equipment and other equipment to combat Avian Influenza and other diseases to the Government of Laos on behalf of the U.S. Embassy. Vice Minister of Health Dr. Bounkouang Phichith, Chief of the Cabinet Mrs. Chanthanom Manotham, and Director of National Center of Laboratory and Epidemiology Dr. Phengta Vongprachanh received the equipment on behalf of the Lao government.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, provided 2,000 packages of personal protective equipment to medical facilities in Laos. In addition, new equipment is being provided to the Lao National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology to provide the necessary “freezing” environment to support laboratory detection of Avian and Human Influenza Viruses. This equipment gives the Laboratory the improved capacity to collect and isolate viruses such as influenza and dengue for the first time, which is critical to identifying and controlling outbreaks of these and other diseases.