20 Asean countries join workshop in response to biological event

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) member countries are taking part in a workshop on preparedness and response to a biological event in Manila.

The three-day workshop, co-chaired by the Philippines, the United States and Australia, opened yesterday at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila.

It is the fourth in a series of ARF workshops on biosecurity and biosafety that began in 2009.

A key recommendation from the 2009 workshop was the need to enhance preparedness and response to a biological event.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the workshop, hosted by the Philippines, brings together delegates representing the human health and security sectors of ARF participating countries and distinguished speakers from local and international organizations concerned with biosafety and biosecurity issues.

The workshop will take an in-depth technical approach on laboratory biosafety and biosecurity as preparedness measures; the need for local and national communication and coordination; the role of the international community in preparedness and response to a biological event; and other priorities identified through the annual ARF workshops. 

This year’s event will build on the ARF Workshop on Disease Detection and Surveillance: Enhancing Public and Veterinary Health Networks to Combat Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism, which was held in Manila on 13 to 15 September 2011.