WOAH Twinning Program
In 2019, the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University (MUVS), signed a memorandum of understanding on academic collaboration with the USGS – National Wildlife Health Center (USGS – NWHC) of the United States, in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), to implement the WOAH Twinning Project. This project develops coping capacity with emerging infectious diseases and advances wildlife conservation.
Afterward, MUVS’s MoZWE and the Wildlife Health Collaborating Center (WHCC, founded as Thailand-NWHC) collaborate with local and overseas organizations to drive the project through a series of 4-year activities. These include the One Health survey, workshops in Health Information Management, general wildlife disease surveillance and outbreak investigation, and strategic plan development. The project’s goal is to establish an integrated wildlife health network in Thailand to enhance the country’s ability to respond to emerging infectious diseases.
#01
Virtual workshop on Data and Information Management for the Thailand National Wildlife Health Center
On November 12, 2020, a virtual workshop on data and information management for the Thailand National Wildlife Health Center was held via Zoom application to demonstrate the importance and benefits of wildlife health information management. Participants from key partners, including the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, the Department of Livestock Development, the National Institute of Animal Health, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource, the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, and Veterinary Colleges, attended this workshop. In this workshop, the significant topics and relevant contexts were to be honored, introduced by Dr. Jonathan Sleeman, center director of USGS NWHC, and served as a modulator.
#02
Wildlife Disease Surveillance as a Component of a One Health System in Thailand
The survey project “Wildlife Disease Surveillance as a Component of a One Health System in Thailand” was developed in January 2022. The project’s objectives aimed to understand better how wildlife disease surveillance systems are used in daily work and which sectors may benefit from wildlife disease surveillance as part of a One Health system in Thailand. The target participants were the Thai wildlife health partners, including the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), Ministry of Agricultural and Cooperatives, Department of Livestock Development, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Zoological Park Organization of Thailand under the Royal Patronage (ZPOT), Ministry of Public Health Department of Disease Control, faculties of veterinary medicine/science across Thailand, and Thailand-NWHC/MoZWE. The result of the interview was eventually published in the journal ‘One Health’ entitled “Stakeholder Attitudes and Perspectives on Wildlife Disease Surveillance as a Component of a One Health Approach in Thailand”
#03
The 2nd Thailand Wildlife Health Information Management Virtual Workshop
On November 21-23, 2020, the second virtual workshop on Thailand Wildlife Health Information Management was conducted via Zoom application to identify the decisions that need to be made regarding wildlife diseases, the current and future data streams, and the functional tools needed to assist with decision-making. Participants from key partners, including the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, the Department of Livestock Development, the National Institute of Animal Health, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource, the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, and Veterinary Colleges, attended this workshop. In this workshop, the welcome remarks and relevant contexts were to be honored and introduced by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Walasinee Sakcamduang, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, and Dr. Jonathan Sleeman, center director of USGS NWHC, respectively.
#04
Workshop for General Surveillance for Wildlife Diseases and Outbreak Investigation
On May 30 – June 2, 2022, the workshop for General Surveillance for Wildlife Diseases and Outbreak Investigation, one of a series of planned workshops in fulfillment of the Twinning project, was held at the Holiday Inn, Pattaya, Thailand. The workshop included participants from the WOAH Collaborating Centre (USGS NWHC), the candidate centre, multiple government agencies in Thailand, USAID, the US Embassy in Thailand, international experts from Laos, diagnostic laboratories, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations in Thailand.
#05
The meeting for policy-driven wildlife disease surveillance in Thailand: A Collaborative Wildlife Health Network
On September 12, 2022, the Thailand National Wildlife Health Center (Thailand-NWHC) invited the core wildlife health partners including the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plants Conservation (DNP), the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) to join a meeting for Thailand’s wildlife disease surveillance system developing at Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.
#06
Train the trainer workshop on General Surveillance for Diseases and Outbreak Investigation
As the WOAH Twinning Project, a trainer workshop on general surveillance for diseases and outbreak investigation was conducted on December 6-9, 2022. The participants were veterinarians from the core partners of Thailand-NWHC, including the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plants Conservation (DNP), the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand (ZPOT), and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), and academic institutions. In the workshop, the participants had the opportunity to share and learn about the theory and practice of wildlife disease surveillance and investigation, appropriate sample and data collection, biosafety and biosecurity concerns, and communication.
#07
Virtual Workshop for Thailand Wildlife Health Network Leadership Series
In January 2023, the virtual workshop for the Thailand Wildlife Health Network Leadership Series was held via Webex application on the 11th, 13th, 25th, and 26th. Participants from key partners, including the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, the Department of Livestock Development, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource, the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, and the Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals were invited to participate the workshop. It was to be honored to have Dr. Craig Stephen as a speaker in this workshop.
#08
Strategic plan development for Thailand Wildlife Health Network
On July 13, 2023, the “Workshop on developing strategy for Thailand wildlife health network” was held at Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, with partners from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Department of Livestock Development, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine from Mahanakorn University of Technology, and the Faculty of Environment and Resources Studies, Thailand – National Wildlife Health Center, the Faculty of Veterinary Science, and the Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals from Mahidol University. The opening remark was to be honored and delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Walasinee Sakcamduang, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University.
#09
Future Directions and Sustainability Workshop
On 30 January 2024, the WOAH Twinning Project Future Directions and Sustainability Workshop was organized with the purpose of presenting the progress and achievements to the participants, who are the network members, and gathering the feedback for the future actions planned.
On 29 January to 2 February 2024, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, along with the faculty executives and the representatives from the USGS, the Wildlife Health Australia, and the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for the South-East Asia were met with President of Mahidol University and also the executives and representatives of our Network’s members to discussed the future directions of the network.
