Institute Pasteur in Laos opens

VIENTIANE,01.27.2012 (KPL)- The first Institute Pasteur in Laos was opened in Vientiane Capital on January 23. The aim of the institute is to reduce the risks of pandemic outbreaks of infectious and parasitic diseases in Southeast Asia. The Institute Pasteur in Laos’s primary mission is to anticipate the risk of pandemics in the country and throughout Southeast Asia, a region that has been hit particularly hard by infectious diseases such as measles, influenza, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and other vector transmitted diseases such as dengue and malaria. The Institute Pasteur in Laos is the 32nd member institute of the Institute Pasteur International Network, the first of which was set up in Vietnam in 1891. It will be directed by Dr. Paul Brey, who was appointed by the Institute Pasteur in Paris following approval from the Lao government. The Institute Pasteur in Laos is a Lao National Institute with a budget soured from Lao government funding, donations and sponsorship. It is also being backed by the Institute Pasteur in Paris, the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, the Friend Ministry of Public Health, private donors including Japanese business and several international Institutions including the French Development Agency. Former Minister and Honorary Chairman of the Board of directors of the Institute Pasteur in Laos, Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy, President of the Institute Pasteur in Laos, Prof. Alice Dautry, French Ambassador to Laos, Mr. Francios Senemaud, Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, Mr. Marc Thill and two minister to the Government Office, Prof. Dr. Bountiem Phissamai and Ms. Khempheng Pholsena attended the opening ceremony.