On 11-13 Oct, SEACTN verbal autopsy research coordinator Dr Nan Shwe Nwe Htun (front row, 6th left), Dr Tom Peto (back row, left), and Ms. Chonticha Menggred (front row, 3rd right) visited SMRU to provide verbal autopsy training and technical support to the SMRU-SEACTN team, including newly recruited staff and an SEACTN public engagement team.
Led by Prof Yoel Lubell, and supported by the Wellcome Innovations Flagship Programme, the South and South-east Asia Community-based Trials Network (SEACTN) is a network of ~750 villages across Southeast Asia (SEA) where village health workers and peripheral health facilities with be supplied and trained with mobile devices and sample collection tools to ascertain the incidence, causes and outcome of febrile illness. Dr Aung Phyo Pyae (front row, 3rd left), heads the SMRU SEACTN team, which will conduct verbal autopsy public engagement activities. These will start in 2 weeks, with data collection expected in November. SEACTN-VA, the Verbal Autopsy component of SEACTN, will classify the causes of deaths according to the 10th International Classification of Diseases in 40 villages along the Thai-Myanmar border first and later expand to nearby villages.
– With thanks to Nan Shwe Nwe Htun for text and photo.