JOINT PRESS STATEMENT ON
THE SIGNING OF THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THE
REGIONAL EMERGING DISEASES INTERVENTION CENTRE (REDI)

The Governments of the United States and Singapore on November
22, 2005 signed an historic agreement renewing their joint commitment
to work together to prevent and respond to pandemic influenza and
other emerging diseases in Southeast Asia. The document provides
for the operation of the Regional Emerging Diseases Intervention
(REDI) Centre, and follows an earlier Memorandum of Understanding
between the Singapore Ministry of Health and the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) pledging to cooperate on a range
of health issues, in particular emerging infectious diseases such
as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza.
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong initially
announced their joint commitment at the 2003 APEC Leaders’ Meeting.
The REDI Centre was officially opened on May 24, 2004 at Singapore’s
Biopolis hub for biomedical research.
"This is an important step in building a global network of
surveillance that will help us detect disease outbreaks before
they spread so we can better protect the American people and people
all over the world," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "It
is a timely agreement, given the urgency of our efforts to prepare
for a global pandemic, and it supports President Bush's aims in
bringing together nations of the world in the International Partnership
on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to address this worldwide threat."
The agreement establishes the REDI Centre as an international
organization with a Governing Board and Scientific Advisory Group
to accomplish the following:
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Extend the perimeter of defence for emerging
infectious diseases and health security threats. |
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Widen the international network for research in emerging
infectious diseases. |
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Translate the findings of research into improved public
health. |
In the near future, the REDI Centre will be working with neighbouring
countries to provide advice and consultation to address the avian
influenza situation in Southeast Asia, specifically responding to
requests for assistance from Indonesia and Vietnam, and addressing
concerns about infection control in hospitals in Vietnam, Cambodia,
and Laos.
Some of the projects include collaboration with Argonne National
Laboratory and other US and Singapore agencies to conduct a 5-day
workshop on public health emergency preparedness. The programme endorsed
by the APEC Health Task Force, is aimed at promoting integrated emergency
preparedness for communicable disease outbreaks within and among
participant economies to enhance security. In addition, the REDI
Centre and MOH are working on three technical assistance training
courses offered to our Indonesian neighbours on infection control,
outbreak response and laboratory techniques.
“The threat of an outbreak of pandemic influenza is real.
An influenza virus strain with potential to cause a pandemic of human
disease could emerge with little or no warning and in almost any
part of the world,” Secretary Leavitt said. “We cannot
afford to ignore this threat, and we are pleased to be working with
Singapore, as part of our international pandemic preparedness and
response efforts.”
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SINGAPORE &
THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, SINGAPORE
29 NOVEMBER 2005
For any media queries, please contact:
Embassy of The United States of America, Singapore
Valerie Fowler
Public Affairs Officer
FowlerVC@state.gov
DID: 6476-9265 / mobile: 9112-7115
The Ministry of Health, Singapore
Bey Mui Leng
Assistant Director, Media Relations
bey_mui_leng@moh.gov.sg
DID: 6325 1749 / 9735 8617
Nikole Lee
Media Relations Executive
nikole_lee@moh.gov.sg
DID: 6325 9174 / mobile: 9824 5058
Background information on REDI Centre
The REDI Centre officially opening in May 2004 to provide early
warnings on any impending infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorist
threat in the region, especially those with potential for international
spread. The joint facility with the US would enable us to leverage
on the US CDC’s experience and expertise in surveillance and
control of communicable disease outbreaks.
The Governing Board and Scientific Advisory Group of the REDI Centre
includes HHS representatives from the National Institutes of Health,
the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug
Administration, the National Vaccine Program Office, and the Office
of Global Health Affairs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, along with Singaporean representatives from the Ministry
of Health, the Biomedical Research Council, the National University
of Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority, and the Genome Institute
of Singapore in Singapore.
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