Professor
Le Thi Quynh Mai
National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology
Title of the talk: Overview of Research on Zoonotic Diseases in Vietnam
Abstract
Vietnam is identified as a country that has been affected by emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases.
During the past two decades, several animal-related human pathogens have been reported in Vietnam, such as avian influenza, rabies, leptospirosis, anthrax, Streptococcus suis, SARS-CoV (2003), and, recently, SARS-CoV-2.
Severe pandemics resulting from the transfer of animal viruses (or other agents) to the human population have had profound and far-reaching effects on the economy and society, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
Most studies on zoonotic diseases in Vietnam have focused on emerging infectious diseases and involve coordinated, intersectoral collaboration through active surveillance and pathogen analysis.
Our study aims to an overview of zoonotic disease studies in Vietnam from 2000 to the present. This may enhance understanding of zoonotic diseases and guide policies promoting multisectoral collaboration.
Biography
Prof Mai was one of leaders to establish National Influenza Surveillance System (NISS) in Vietnam and the director of National Influenza Centre, a member of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS).
Professor Mai’s group was the first to confirm that the pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) caused human infections in Viet Nam and has played a key role in characterizing this influenza virus and the associated immunopathology. She has been responsible for monitoring National Influenza Surveillance Network in Vietnam, upgrading laboratory capacity, and improving relationships with animal health researchers.
Prof Mai contributed as author and co-author of a total of more than 200 international publications in related fields including Nature (2005, 2006), New England Journal of Medicine (2009), Science (2014), the Lancet (2017), and EID (2021).
Prof Mai and her team were able to establish molecular diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 when the first suspect cases of COVID-19 were entering Vietnam end of January 2020 before WHO / US CDC protocols were distributed and implemented. Early in 2020, Prof. Mai’s team was the 4th country to successfully isolate SARS-CoV-2 and have been responsible for a large proportion of sequences uploaded to GISAID. She is now a senior researcher at NIHE.
Publications: ORCID Researchgate.