A virtual meeting of Consultation on Regional Action Plan for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming in the South-East Asia was convened virtually by WHO-SEARO in New Delhi, India from 29 to 31 March 2022, to discuss the overall situation and finalize first draft of regional action plan with 13 national focal points of 9 Member States ,10 experts from the Region and Globe and 21 WHO secretariat members. Moreover, 2 observers from Wellcome trust, London, UK and Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand were participated.
The objectives of the meeting were as follow:
- To discuss overall situation of burden of snakebite envenoming and national health system capacity for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming, challenges, and priorities in the South-East Asia Region
- To discuss and agree on the regional goal and targets, outline, and key components of the first draft of the Regional Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in the South-East Asia
- To determine the next steps and timeline for finalization of the Regional Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in the South-East Asia
Following presentations of the NTD roadmap 2030, regional burden, issues and challenges, country reports on progress, draft Regional Action plan, there were great opportunities for group works and extensive discussions leading to the timeline and next steps for finalization and endorsement of Regional Action Plan for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming in the South-East Asia (2022-2030).