Background The Mekong Basin is the home of six countries: the Kingdom of Cambodia, Yunnan province of People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Union of Myanmar, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the Kingdom of Thailand. After a meeting in Bangkok in February 1999, delegates from all countries agreed to start collaboration in Disease Surveillance under the name Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS). Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China became the member of MBDS region in February 2008. The general objective is to strengthen national and Mekong sub-regional capabilities in disease surveillance and response to outbreaks of priority diseases, in order that they can be effectively controlled. Priority diseases are vaccine preventable diseases, e.g., Malaria, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Fever, Cholera, and outbreaks of those of unknown etiologies. | |
The three specific objectives or program areas have been proposed which include: |
MBDS Region
| Land area | : 2,570,426 sq km |
| Population | : 313,642,000 |
Cambodia
| Land area | : 181,035 sq km |
| Population | : 14,100,000 (mid-2006) |
Yunnan Province, China
| Land area | : 394,000 sq km |
| Population | : 44,152,000 (2004) |
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| Land area | : 236,700 sq km |
| Population | : 48,890,000 (2004) |
Lao PDR
| Land area | : 237,000 sq km |
| Population | : 6,100,000 (mid-2006) |
Myanmar
| Land area | : 677,000 sq km |
| Population | : 51,000,000 (mid-2006) |
Thailand
| Land area | : 513,000 sq km |
| Population | : 65,200,000 (mid-2006) |
Vietnam
| Land area | : 331,691 sq km |
| Population | : 84,200,000 (mid-2006) |
Sources: U.N. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Population Reference Bureau, Asian Development Bank Key Indicators Report, Yunnan Government.