Arbovirus infections such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses continue to pose significant challenges to public health globally. Recognizing the gravity of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Arbovirus Initiative in 2022 to raise awareness, and convene partners to strengthen coordination, communication, capacity-building, research, preparedness, and response to mitigate the growing risk of epidemics due to these diseases.

Epidemics caused by arboviruses are pivotal focal points in ASEAN regional pandemic preparedness. This webinar aims to bring together field experts who will share their current insights into these challenges. By fostering discussions, the webinar seeks to spark ideas for robust regional collaborations to address the impact of arbovirus infections in the ASEAN community.

Watch the webinar here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqNybORO_-E

Click to view the  The Emerging Threat of Arboviruses Webinar Report

 

SARS-CoV-2 variations are keeping us on our toes in our fight against COVID-19. WHO announced in late November that there is a Variant of Concern (VOC), Omicron, with 32 mutations in the spike protein. This is about double that of the Delta strain, which is currently dominating COVID-19 infections around the world. This new VOC is expected to be more transmissible and infectious than the Delta strain. How quickly and widely would Omicron spread? Would it dominate the other variants? Would this new variant reduce vaccine effectiveness? In this webinar, we will discuss the recent developments in our fight against COVID-19 and changes in vaccination programmes to effectively combat Omicron.

Watch the webinar here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shrv8sKelyE

Click to view the  Vaccines and Immunity 2 Webinar Report

 

Aggressive vaccination programmes are underway in ASEAN, even as new variants appear on the horizon. What do we know about these variants and the challenges they pose to sero-conversion in a vaccinated population, longevity of host immunity, and achieving the ‘holy grail’ of herd immunity? Earlier estimates for achieving herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 were 60-70%. The new estimate is 80-90% due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, according to a report from Infectious Diseases Society of America on Aug 3, 2021. In this webinar, we will discuss ongoing vaccination efforts using various vaccines, challenges posed by mutating virus and possible approaches to eventually achieve herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

Additionally, the webinar will introduce the ASEAN Serosurveillance Study for COVID-19 Vaccines. The study is coordinated by ASEAN Dx Initiative and supported by Temasek Foundation.

Watch the webinar here: https://youtu.be/awBi4iTA1Cg

Click to view the Vaccines and Immunity Webinar Report

 

SARS-CoV-2 has been continuously mutating. The delta variant is now the dominant variant globally, and the lambda variant has already spread to 29 countries. Details about the evolution of the virus are analysed by epidemiologists to advise about incidence, distribution, and control of diseases. Understanding the evolving genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 informs participants two important things – how the virus is mutating and how it is moving through the population. In this webinar, we will introduce the use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for virus variants surveillance. With public health interventions adjusted accordingly, we can control the rampant spread of new variants through the country and globally.

Watch the webinar here: https://youtu.be/yXDZZ2ihQZo

Click to view the Genomic Surveillance Webinar Report

Viral RNA detection through RT-PCR is WHO’s recommended confirmatory test for SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, many countries faced challenges in ramping up RT-PCR testing capacity, such as shortage of swab sticks, transport media, RNA extraction reagents and costly platform equipment. The testing demands have led to the development of alternative PCR protocols with similar sensitivities to relieve the testing load. In this webinar, we discuss how using direct PCR test can manage COVID-19 testing demands. 

Watch the webinar here: https://youtu.be/slDATwr4xa8 

Click to view the Direct PCR Webinar Report

Click to view the ASEAN Dx Preparedness Webinar: Testing Platforms

As excitement soars over pending COVID-19 vaccination programmes in 2021, it is timely to know how an effective vaccine works in producing virus neutralizing antibodies in recipients that generates immunity, and how serology monitoring can measure herd immunity.

In this webinar, Prof. Wang Linfa will explore the importance of serology testing in managing the next phase of COVID-19, how it may impact public health policies, and its role in enhancing our preparedness for future pandemics.

Dr. Sergio Carmona and Dr. Emma Hannay will discuss the efforts of FIND in guiding and providing access to tools supporting the fight against the pandemic. This is done through the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, an initiative led by FIND, the Global Fund, WHO and other global partners.

Watch the webinar here: https://youtu.be/Yi0CmP2IfWI