Vientiane Capital, 22^nd of January 2026 –  The ECOMORE project national kick-off meeting was successfully held in Vientiane, bringing together national and international partners involved in public health, research and environmental cooperation in Laos.

The meeting gathered representatives from the Department of Communicable Diseases Control (DCDC), the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), the Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute (LTPHI), WWF-Laos, the French Embassy in Laos, and Institut Pasteur du Laos. The project is supported by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The session was co-chaired by Dr. Phoupasong Somphou, Deputy Director of DCDC; Dr. Philippe Buchy, Director General of IPL; and Madame Natalie Brat, Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in Laos.

Discussions focused on project objectives, scientific priorities, and collaborative approaches related to virology, climate change, seroprevalence studies, and entomology, with the aim of strengthening regional health security and outbreak preparedness.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for partners and stakeholders to align on project implementation, milestones, and future coordination activities.