A Participatory System for Preventing Pandemics of Animal Origins: Pilot Study of the Participatory One Health Disease Detection (PODD) System.

Background: Aiming for early disease detection and prompt outbreak control, digital technology with a participatory One Health approach was used to create a novel disease surveillance system called Participatory One Health Disease Detection (PODD). PODD is a community-owned surveillance system that collects data from volunteer reporters; identifies disease outbreak automatically; and notifies the local governments (LGs), surrounding villages, and relevant authorities. This system provides a direct and immediate benefit to the communities by empowering them to protect themselves.

Mortality among foreign nationals in Chiang Mai City, Thailand, 2010 to 2011.

Background: Up to 65% of travelers to less developed countries report health problems while traveling. International travel is an increasing concern for health practitioners. To date, there have not been any published analyses of mortality amongst foreign nationals visiting Thailand.

Using participatory mapping to inform a community-randomized trial of HIV counseling and testing.

Participatory mapping and transect walks were used to inform the research and intervention design and to begin building community relations in preparation for Project Accept, a community-randomized trial sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Methamphetamine use and correlates in two villages of the highland ethnic Karen minority in northern Thailand: a cross sectional study.

Background: The prevalence of methamphetamine use and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence are high in lowland Thai society. Despite increasing social and cultural mixing among residents of highland and lowland Thai societies, however, little is known about methamphetamine use among ethnic minority villagers in the highlands.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey examined Karen villagers from a developed and a less-developed village on February 24 and March 26, 2003 to evaluate the prevalence and social correlates of methamphetamine use in northern Thailand.

Project Accept (HPTN 043): a community-based intervention to reduce HIV incidence in populations at risk for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand.

Background: Changing community norms to increase awareness of HIV status and reduce HIV-related stigma has the potential to reduce the incidence of HIV-1 infection in the developing world.

Methods: We developed and implemented a multilevel intervention providing community-based HIV mobile voluntary counseling and testing, community mobilization, and posttest support services. Forty-eight communities in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Thailand were randomized to receive the intervention or clinic-based standard voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), the comparison condition.

Community-based voluntary counseling and testing services in rural communities of Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand.

Between September, 2002 to May, 2003, we implemented community-based HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services in four rural areas of Chiang Mai Province. The services included providing HIV/AIDS education and free mobile VCT using rapid testing with same day results. Overall, 427 villagers came for VCT (testers) and consented to be interviewed.

Prevalence and correlates of sexual behaviors among karen villagers in northern Thailand.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two mountainous villages of the Karen, a major ethnic minority in Thailand. The participants were 566 villagers aged 15-54 years (371 in Village A, 195 in Village B; response rate=81.9%).