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Let me start by thanking the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases for organizing this important National Scientific Conference on Infectious Diseases.
We are meeting at a time when infectious disease threats are becoming increasingly complex.
This is driven by at least four factors.
- New pathogens continue to emerge and old, existing ones have not gone away, including neglected tropical diseases, such as rabies.
- Antimicrobial resistance – AMR – is making infections harder to prevent and treat. Climate change is altering patterns of disease transmission.
- And greater population mobility aids the spread of disease across borders.
In this context, science, innovation and collaboration have never been more important.
The good news is that Viet Nam has built a strong foundation for preventing, detecting and responding to infectious diseases.
- High vaccination coverage has protected generations of children and prevented countless illnesses and deaths.
- Extensive networks of surveillance and immunization units, and laboratories, support the detection and monitoring of infectious threats.
- And expanding social health insurance coverage has now strengthened access to essential health services for 95% of people.
These investments have strengthened health security and put major advancements within reach – such as eliminating malaria and leprosy.
At the same time, we must face the remaining challenges that I have mentioned.
Climate change deserves particular attention.
Climate hazards - from rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, to more frequent extreme weather - are having a huge and accelerating impact on health.
Taking just one example, researchers estimate that climate change contributed to nearly 20% of dengue cases around the world in 2024. Cases could increase by two or three times that rate by 2050.
In Viet Nam, climate change is reshaping dengue transmission by expanding mosquito habitats and exposing new populations to risk.
Later today, WHO will present in more detail on climate change and infectious diseases.
WHO is honoured to have supported a review of the current evidence base on climate-sensitive diseases in Viet Nam, which has highlighted important opportunities for further research including on the links between climate change and AMR, zoonotic diseases as well as the impacts of climate change on maternal and reproductive health.
But while we face many challenges and uncertainties, it is also exicting to think about the potential of new technologies, including advanced diagnostics, genomic surveillance, artificial intelligence and predictive modelling, to improve our ability to detect, monitor and respond to health threats.
AI, in particular, has the potential to revolutionize disease forecasting to enable earlier action to prevent outbreaks. This is another area WHO is eager to support.
But innovation delivers benefits only when it is integrated into strong, resilient health systems and translated into action that protects people and communities.
That is why institutions such as the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases play such a vital role.
As a WHO Collaborating Centre since May 2024, the hospital is well positioned to advance scientific excellence, support pandemic preparedness, and strengthen regional and global health security.
Our collaboration with NHTD and other partners has included disease surveillance and outbreak investigation, workforce and laboratory strengthening, immunization and outbreak response, support for pandemic preparedness and implementation of the International Health Regulations.
This kind of partnership demonstrates what can be achieved when scientific expertise, national leadership and international cooperation come together around shared public health goals.
Looking ahead, WHO remains committed to supporting Viet Nam's health security priorities. As well as work on climate and health, our collaboration includes:
- strengthening surveillance and public health intelligence systems
- enhancing laboratory and genomic surveillance capacity
- supporting pandemic preparedness and emergency management
- accelerating action on AMR; and
- sustaining high immunization coverage to protect populations from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Thank you again for having me here today, as we look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that science, innovation and partnership drive a healthier and safer Viet Nam.
Xin cảm ơn!