13 July 2024
Anonymous Writer
On 24 – 28 June 2024, the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Sumatera Utara (FK USU) was invited to participate in a five-day workshop on “Developing a Regional Agenda for Wastewater & Environmental Surveillance and Research for Epidemics and Pandemics” in Singapore. The workshop was organized by the Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness And REsponse (PREPARE) in partnership with Temasek Foundation (TF), the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), the National Environment Agency (NEA) Singapore, Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The workshop is part of the Research Engagements and Action against Diseases caused by Infections (READI) program, which aims to build up ASEAN partnerships through active collaborations on training, research, and capacity building.
As a part of the workshop, the first Regional Conference of the Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environment Surveillance System for Public Health (GLOWACON) was held on 24 – 25 June 2024. According to the FK USU delegate dr. Evita Mayasari PhD, from the Department of Microbiology, the workshop was attended by 38 members of GLOWACON from 22 countries across six continents. During the conference and workshop, the host and speakers presented and discussed the regional and international perspectives on wastewater & environmental surveillance (WES) and research for epidemics & pandemics. Meanwhile, during the workshop, delegates discussed priorities, existing capacity, and needs for WES and research for epidemics & pandemics in each country’s region. Finally, the workshop was closed by discussions for the co-development of collaboration projects in and between countries.
Indonesian delegates consisted of lecturer-researchers, physicians, the representative of a non-government research organization, the representative of the government’s research funders organization (DRTPM), and representatives of the decision makers (the Indonesian Ministry of Health). Indonesian delegates reported WES studies of COVID-19 and Salmonella sp. from hospital wastewater samples. Indonesia is also involved in a pilot project of WES and research for antimicrobial-resistant organisms. By developing research collaboration, FK USU has the potential to participate further in future WES and research meetings for infectious disease control and prevention.
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