Five officers of 8th AET cohort and ten officers of 5th CAVET cohort successfully graduated and presented their accomplishments at the Conference.
Field Epidemiology Training programmes are important national-level mechanisms that enable Member States to build core International Health Regulations (IHR) capacities related to surveillance and response. In Cambodia the Applied Epidemiology Training (AET) programme was established in 2011 and has thus far trained 136 field epidemiologists: 96 have completed the 1-month Introductory level course and 40 have completed the 6-month long Foundation course. The roles and duties given to all AET graduates at provincial and national level across the country are crucial to protect the health of the people of Cambodia.
The National Field Epidemiology Conference was held on 7-8 May 2019 in Siem Reap province and served as the graduation ceremony for 5 AET graduates from the 8th cohort and as well as 10 CAVET (Cambodia Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training) graduates. This conference is an annual event that brings together junior and senior epidemiologists from all over the country to share research projects and fieldwork, analysis of surveillance systems and updates on epidemiological topics. In total 275 people attended this event including all AET introductory and foundation course graduates from all cohorts, and staff from provincial health department, relevant departments and institutions within the Ministry of Health (MoH). In addition, the animal health sector was also represented CAVET graduates and trainers, CAVET management and advisory board within the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Other sectors represented included representatives from Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Interior, and various development partners.
This event was jointly organized by the Cambodian Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), with technical and financial support from WHO Cambodia. The opening was presided upon by H.E Prof. Eng Huot, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health and H.E Hor Malin, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.