TEIN and medical community join forces to combat Dengue Fever | |
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TEIN and medical community join forces to combat Dengue Fever The latest Asia Pacific Advanced Networking (APAN) meeting held in January in Bandung, Indonesia, saw the addition of a dedicated Dengue Fever workshop in the programme for the established APAN Medical Working Group. A joint APAN-TEIN*CC initiative, the workshop took place on 20 January 2014, attracting over 30 attendees, including clinicians and researchers from within the multi-disciplinary dengue fever community, public health officials as well as National Research and Education Network (NREN) representatives from across the Asia-Pacific. Titled “Dengue Fever- Let’s STOP it!” , the workshop set out to provide a forum for participants to share experiences and best practices and to exchange ideas around how to manage, prevent and fight this infectious tropical disease. According to the World Health Organisation, Dengue Fever is putting almost half of the world population at risk. All sites were able to view the presentations and follow the discussions in real time using the multi-point videoconference system supported by their respective national R&E networks and the regional Trans EurAsia Information Network (TEIN). With high-definition images and stable connections, participants experienced videoconferencing first-hand, as a time- and cost-effective collaboration tool. The presentations covered a wide range of topics, from clinical case management to relevant climate impact studies. A round-table discussion that followed focused on taking stock of objectives and activities, as well as on how to move forward by working together and sharing experiences and processes to better combat the resurgence of the disease in the region.
Discussions are underway with NRENs in Latin America and Africa, among other world regions, about adapting this workshop model to the local context to help build regional communities. The driving force behind the workshop, Prof. Francis Lee Bu Sung, President of SingAREN and Chair of Govenors of TEIN*CC, commented: “This was a very inspiring event. I hope it would act as a catalyst for more joint actions as everyone left with renewed energy and enthusiasm in our quest to stop the spread of Dengue Fever and to improve its treatment!”
If you wish to find out more about this Dengue Fever initiative or want to join the next virtual workshop, please contact Professor Francis Lee Bu Sung at ebslee@ntu.edu.sg TEIN*CC is an active member the global community of National Research & Education Networks (NRENs) that power and support collaborative, cutting-edge, data-intensive research and education. This “network of networks” connects researchers, teachers, students and innovators from the four corners of the world to one another, and to the data, software, equipment and hardware at the forefront of digital discovery. This global community is fueled by a strong collaborative spirit and a drive to push technical boundaries to create new knowledge, and ways to use that knowledge, to address society’s most vital challenges. |