The Annual CHORDS Conference
March 17-19, 2010
Annecy, France
The annual CHORDS conference convenes at Fondation Mérieux's Les Pensières conference center in Annecy, France. CHORDS, Connecting Health Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance will create a multi-sector community of practice to improve early detection and response in the regional networks and strengthen partnerships for global health security.
CHORDS Working Group Session
October 29-30, 2009
Amman, Jordan
GHSI is gathering representatives from regional infectious disease surveillance networks, as well as key experts from various international organizations, for a Connecting Health Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CHORDS) working session in Amman, Jordan. With support from an international Steering Committee, GHSI has crafted an agenda and discussion format that will allow for open sharing of experience; focus on how to build trust among the regional networks and support capacity needs for disease surveillance and control.
This working session is taking place with support from NTI and The Rockefeller Foundation. Participants have already been communicating through online meetings, sharing experiences and developing the capabilities to address their common concerns, and will be meeting in-person for the first time in Jordan.
MECIDS Executive Board Meeting
October 31- November 1, 2009
Amman, Jordan
The Middle East Consortium for Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS) holds a meeting of the Executive Board to discuss the current Influenza A (H1N1) situation in the Middle East and to plan further cooperation as the Hajj pilgrimage approaches in November. They will also discuss MECIDS' 2010-2011 business plan, including a plan for expansion of membership, and will prepare for upcoming activities and workshops in the region. For more information on MECIDS, visit our MECIDS project page.
CHORDS Partnership Group Virtual Meeting
November 4, 2009
Teleconference
The CHORDS Partnership Group will have its first meeting via teleconference on November 4, 2009. The meeting will introduce members to the CHORDS process and clarify the role of the Partnership Group; allow members to learn about the value of a regional approach to infectious disease surveillance; and hear the group members' initial thoughts on CHORDS and their role within it.
Bridging the Gaps Between Human and Animal Disease Surveillance Systems
July 8-9, 2009
Moscow, Russia
GHSI gathered a group of experts from Russia, United States, United Kingdom and Kazakhstan to study a connection between human and animal health surveillance systems. The final product will be a publication summarizing the current status and lessons learned and will include recommendations from an international group of experts to the global epidemiological community on ways to improve integration between human and animal health surveillance.
On the heels of the meeting, the U.S. and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding pledging to improve public health on several fronts. The two countries will facilitate international cooperation on the surveillance and monitoring of infectious diseases, promote the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005), support the Millennium Development Goals, and strengthen health systems in developing countries, including public health emergency preparedness and response.
Global Infectious Disease Surveillance Networks: Implementing the Bellagio Call for Action
April 28, 2009
Washington, DC
NTI's Global Health and Security Initiative hosted a meeting showcasing its latest endeavor, Connecting Health Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CHORDS). The event's objective was to develop a nexus of colleagues and potential partners who can provide expertise and funding support for infectious disease surveillance networks around the world. The meeting held at the Newseum in Washington, DC on April 28, 2009, convened health and technical experts from academia, the private-sector, government, NGO's, and the international intergovernmental community by invitation only.
Biosafety and Biosecurity International Conference 2009
April 2-4, 2009
Casablanca, Morocco
The International Council for the Life Sciences (ICLS), along with the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research, the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi and the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan, convened the second Biosafety and Biosecurity International Conference: Healthier and more secure communities in the MENA region, April 2-4 in Casablanca, Morocco. The vision is to build upon the first conference organized by the ICLS and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi in 2007 and promote the development of a framework for a regional biosecurity strategy.
SACIDS Executive Board Meeting & Inception Workshop
March 31-April 2, 2009
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) held its first Executive Board meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on March 31. The SACIDS Board of Directors is comprised of members from Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The inception workshop took place after the Board meeting, on April 1-2, included a demonstration from Google.com on technology that could enhance the capacity of SACIDS in infectious disease surveillance activities, and will take steps toward drawing up a framework for SACIDS projects.
MBDS Country Coordinator and Executive Board Meeting
February 26-27, 2009
Guilin, China
The Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network (MBDS) held a meeting of MBDS Country Coordinators and a special session Executive Board Meeting in Guilin, Guangxi Region of the People's Republic of China, on February 26-27. The meeting's purpose was to review progress made in implementing the MBDS strategic plan and to hand the Executive Board chairmanship from Cambodia to China. GHSI's Terry Taylor and Mariah Richardson attended this meeting.
Wellcome Trust's "Emerging Diseases – Next Steps: Linking Surveillance and Disease in Southeast Asia"
February 16 -17, 2009
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
GHSI's Director of Health Security and Epidemiology, Dr. Louise Gresham, presented "Regional Disease Surveillance Networks: The Ultimate Prediction Market" at the Wellcome Trust's Frontiers dialogue in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. "Emerging Diseases – Next Steps: Linking Surveillance and Disease in Southeast Asia," is the first in a series of three meetings hosted by the Trust to bring together the human, animal and wildlife research communities.
