NPHI Stories: Laying the Foundation for the Myanmar CDC

To promote global health, CDC is working closely with the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) to establish the Myanmar CDC. Founding Myanmar CDC is critical to the country’s public health future, says MOHS Director General of Public Health Dr. Soe Lwin Nyein, who led a delegation to visit CDC and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) in Atlanta, GA, August 22-26. He believes that having a dedicated public health entity will allow the MOHS to generate visible impact in strengthening the public health system and to demonstrate to decision makers that investment in public health pays off.

The delegation discussed public health priorities in Myanmar with a range of subject matter experts. They also visited CDC’s Emergency Operations Center, the Georgia State Department of Public Health, and the Georgia Public Health Laboratory. WHO supported the study tour so the delegation could learn more about the U.S. public health system to help the MOHS develop Myanmar CDC.

Moving forward, U.S. CDC headquarters, CDC Myanmar, and IANPHI will continue assisting the MOHS to achieve its vision for a public health entity that can strengthen disease control, response, workforce, and laboratory in Myanmar.