Tropical Partnerships to Enhance Surveillance and Response to Infectious Diseases
Vision: “Stronger regional health system surveillance and response capacity to support timely and effective responses to emerging, existing infectious disease threats within the Asia Pacific Region”
The Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine at James Cook University has been awarded a $1.8M research grant to work towards building tropical partnerships and strengthen health system responses to infectious disease in the Indo Pacific.
This major tropical disease research initiative, funded through the Department of Foreign Affairs Trade’s newly announced Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, will respond to infectious diseases such as Zika and Tuberculosis in the region. The team of researchers will be working in partnership with five Pacific countries including Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Timor L’este, and eastern Indonesia.
Led by Professor Emma McBryde, a world leading TB clinician and researcher, the project aims to provide the Indo Pacific region with a stronger health system surveillance and response capacity to support timely, effective responses to emerging and existing infectious disease threats.
The project will provide expertise and build the capacity of countries in risk reduction and management of health risks, helping those countries meet their International Health Regulation requirements in surveillance, response, laboratory capacity, planning and governance to prevent disease threats.
The Tropical Partners is a consortium of research organisations in Australia and the Pacific Region who will provide innovative tools for policy evaluation and decision support, research mentorship, workforce development and mutual learning within the region.
The researchers, led by Professor Emma McBryde (front far right of picture), have been awarded a two year grant from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to study patterns of infectious disease spread, and strengthen health systems responses to communicable diseases in our region.
Complex Grant Agreement number 73050.
