Kevin Zam

To have effective communication in my team, I focus on three things:
Be open: I encourage everyone to share their ideas and feelings freely. I listen carefully and make sure all voices are heard.
Be honest: I speak clearly and truthfully, even when the topic is difficult. I also expect others to do the same.
Be respectful: I respect different…[Read more]

Throughout a decade of my career, I had overcome many professional challenges. While I worked for the Chin State Health Department in Myanmar to improve the health system, one of my jobs was to draft state health plan of Chin State including voices from the lowest level of the health system, the Rural Health Centers. During that time, it was…[Read more]

Hello Nang Phyoe Thiri,
Thanks for your interest in data interoperability. As fellow Myanmar, we might need initial survey and analysis on what data standard and system are using by our service providers in our countries. According to my knowledge, the government hospital part might not be a problem while the involvement of different data system…[Read more]

Dear Sirithep,
I agree with Salin that you might need further explanation on how active surveillance will be implemented. For the case definition, it is quite challenging to narrow down to RSV among other respiratory illnesses of COVID 19 and flu too that you might need to increase your data accuracy somehow to work efficiently. Thanks for…[Read more]

Hello Salin,
Very interesting surveillance system with (11.6 M) 17.5% of Thailand’s population (71.7 M) affected and 160,000 dialysis cases in 2023.
As the case definition is by laboratory test and highly technical one, I think this CKDSS cannot be used for general public right?

In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong demonstrated strong alignment with all six CERC principles. He communicated promptly and consistently (Be First), providing accurate, science-based information supported by health authorities (Be Right). His calm, transparent demeanor enhanced credibility and public confidence (Be Credible). Lee also…[Read more]

I agree with you but I also think transparency is also needed in Myanmar.

Thanks for your comprehensive discussion. I learned a lot from you.

Based on Al Knawy et al. (2022), the five themes for strong digital health systems are team, transparency and trust, technology, techquity, and transformation. In my country, Myanmar, some progress has been made, but several areas still need improvement:
Team: There is weak coordination among ministries, NGOs, and ethnic health organizations.…[Read more]

Thanks Ma Wah for your comprehensive discussion. I learned a lot from you.

Could you list the disease outbreaks that have been declared as the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)?
The Seven PHEIC according to IHR are as belows;
1. In 2009, H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Declared May 2009 and ended Aug 2010. It originated in Mexico/USA region.
2. In 2014, Poliomyelitis (Polio Resurgence) Declared May 2014…[Read more]

1. Which single design limitation most threatens valid estimates of sensitivity and representativeness? How would you address it within six weeks?
The biggest problem is that the AEFI system depends mostly on passive facility reporting, which misses many cases in the community and private clinics. This affects sensitivity and…[Read more]

Thanks for your comprehensive response

Verification and Preparation
Establish the existence of an outbreak: IT systems such as automated disease surveillance, electronic health records (EHRs), and real-time dashboards help detect unusual increases in case numbers, triggering early warnings for potential outbreaks.
Verify the diagnosis: Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS),…[Read more]

One digital technology I like most apart from contact tracing app from Budd et al. (2020) is the chatbot used in the COVID-19 public health response. Chatbots are computer programs that can talk with people through websites, apps, or messaging platforms. They use artificial intelligence to answer questions, give advice, and guide people on what to…[Read more]

Thanks for your comprehensive response. I agree with your opinion on using facebook as a dissemination tool.

For dengue…

1. How can surveillance help to detect and control the disease?
It can detect outbreaks early and triggers rapid response (vector control, awareness campaigns) and monitor trends, seasonality, and geographic spread of dengue. Surveillance can help describe burden and risk groups (age, sex, area). It can evaluate the effectiveness of m…[Read more]

In the given scenario, a Western research team is asking data in detail at individual level for each disease case.
1. Should you give the data out?
No, I should not give out detailed personal data directly. It would break data privacy and confidentiality rules.

2. How do you not violate any of the General Principles of Informatics Ethics?
I must…[Read more]

According to the given scenario, my close friend’s husband has HIV and she did not know about that.

1. What should I do?
I should keep the patient’s information private and not tell anyone. My duty is to protect confidentiality.

2. As a health information professional – can you tell your friend?
No, I cannot tell my friend. It would break pat…[Read more]