Yippee! After a hiatus of almost a year, the CCRU team managed on 4 Feb to recruit a patient for the scrub typhus antibiotic resistance trial (START), a randomized control trial comparing the efficacy of doxycycline and azithromycin in treating scrub typhus. START PIs Tri Wangrangsimakul and Carlo Perrone congratulate the team for resuming screening and recruiting safely and effectively after such a long break!
Kwanchanok (Bow) Supaluck (dotted pullover, back to camera) and Sutthanit (Mil) Sitthisun (to Bow’s right) started the South and Southeast Asia Community Trials Network (SEACTN) rural febrile illness work-package A project at Baan Doi Chang and Baan Doi Wawee last week. Bow and Mil spent a couple of nights at these two remote villages in Mae Suai district of Chiangrai province. This coincided with Chinese New Year, celebrated by hill tribe minorities as well. The Lahu lead the celebrations at Baan Doi Chang. We wish to give special thanks to the villagers and Ban Doi Chang PCU Director Thossawan Vechpasit for allowing Bow and Mil participate in the revels and enjoy a delicious dinner.
On 1 Feb, Jarntrah (Jarn) Sappayabanphot joined the CCRU team. A social scientist, Jarn will support our bioethics and public engagement activities. Her particular focus will be the verbal autopsy project, led by Tom Peto and Nan Shwe Nwe Htun, which aims to analyse qualitatively local beliefs concerning death and inform on the common causes of death in the villages that are part of the South and Southeast Asia Community Trials Network (SEACTN).
– With thanks to Carlo Perrone for text and Kwanchanok Supaluck for photo.