Tabletop Exercise in Lao PDR Based on a Simulated MERS Outbreak Scenario

Congratulatory Remarks

As part of efforts to strengthen preparedness and response capacity for emerging infectious diseases, Lao PDR conducted its first scenario-based tabletop exercise on March 31, simulating the importation and outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Officials of the Division of Emerging Infectious Disease Response and Division of International Affairs of KDCA participated in the exercise and provided technical support for its design and implementation.

The exercise was organized by the Department of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC) and the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) under the Ministry of Health Lao PDR. It brought together around 50 working-level officials from more than 10 ministries and national agencies, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

KDCA had supported the preparation of the exercise by providing training on scenario development during a visit Ministry of Health Lao PDR officials to Korea in April 2025, as well as sharing Korea’s MERS response exercise scenarios and assisting with exercise planning.
The exercise consisted of five stages: detection of a suspected case and initial epidemiological investigation; isolation measures and inter-ministerial coordination; field response and scenario-based response strategies; risk communication and public health measures; and continued surveillance following the end of the emergency situation. Through these phases, participants reviewed response procedures and institutional roles at each stage of the outbreak scenario.

By simulating a real-world public health emergency, the exercise provided an opportunity to assess the current status of multi-sectoral coordination in Lao PDR and identify gaps in the initial response system. While the exercise successfully improved understanding of institutional roles and coordination mechanism, several challenges were also identified, including unclear roles during the initial response phase, room for improvement in information sharing, and the limited mechanisms for structured public-private collaboration. In particular, key areas for future improvement included strengthening coordination with other ministries, such as the Ministry of Education, for contact management; enhancing management systems for asymptomatic confirmed cases; and establishing multilingual risk communication systems. The Ministry of Health Lao PDR recommended that lessons learned and areas for improvement identified during the exercise be actively reflected in ongoing infectious disease response operations.

Group Discussion Session

To proactively respond to emerging infectious diseases, it is essential to strengthen national infectious disease laboratory capacity and real-time surveillance and reporting systems. It is also important to conduct regular preparedness and response exercises in various formats to identify and address operational gaps.

Accordingly, through the SHEPERD project, KDCA will continue supporting the enhancement of advanced diagnostic and analytical capabilities at Lao PDR’s national infectious disease laboratories as well as the operation of central and regional infectious disease sentinel surveillance systems. KDCA also plans to provide continued technical support for future exercises related to emerging infectious disease response in Lao PDR to further strengthen the country’s public health emergency preparedness and response capacity.