Program overview
Lao FET is a one-year program that was established in February, 2009 by the Department of Communicable Diseases Control (DCDC) and the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) of the Ministry of Health. The program is supported by the Influenza Division of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, eight trainees are selected from multiple sectors including human health, animal health, defense and public security to promote the One Health approach. The program aims to strengthen the epidemiological capacity of the health workforce in the country to detect, assess and respond to acute public health events.