Rare feat for Bangladesh expert

A Bangladesh public health expert has achieved a rare feat.

Prof Mahmudur Rahman has been chosen as member of the World Health Organisation’s international experts review committee on polio virus.

He is also a member of such a committee set up to review the Middle East Coronavirus (MERS).

That makes him the only one who is on two of the three WHO emergency committees formed under the International Health Regulations (IHR).

The IHR came into force in 2007, after the 2002 SARS outbreak. The other similar committee was set up to monitor pandemic influenza in 2009.

Being member of such committees is prestigious for public health experts because the WHO Chief depends on their advice to take critical decision on global public health issues specially during emergencies.

Prof Rahman, the director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and National Influenza Centre, has been taken into these committees as an “infectious diseases epidemiologist”.

In an immediate reaction to bdnews24.com , he said : " I will make every effort to live up to the task . "

According to WHO, the committee has been formed to review the ongoing issues related to the transmission and global spread of the polio virus.

WHO’s four regional zones that cover 80 percent of the world population have been declared polio-free.

The virus remained widespread in three countries –Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria – which are located in two WHO regions.

But international travel can cause a proliferation of the virus to other countries -- so contingency plan to combat that is necessary.

According to the WHO, this expert committee would advise the WHO Director General what to do to prevent the virus from spreading.

It said the Emergency Committee comprises of international experts to provide technical advice to the Director-General in the context of a “public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)”.

Depending on the circumstances, the Emergency Committee may advise on whether or not a PHEIC is occurring.

If the Director-General determines that the event constitutes a PHEIC, the Emergency Committee will then provide advice on appropriate ‘Temporary Recommendations’ to be implemented across the world.

They will also continue to provide advice to the Director-General when an emergency situation is on.

The 14-member committee has already met in teleconference.

The IHR makes countries notify any infectious disease.

Bangladesh is also known for its open sharing of information for the sake of global public health, particularly during influenza pandemic.

With his 29-year experience in public health, Prof Rahman, a Cambridge doctorate, is a famed epidemiologist.

He is serving as director at the government disease-control arm for more than nine years.

He played a key role in establishing the National Influenza Center in Bangladesh and the Bio-safety lab 3, Nipah virus detection laboratory and web-based surveillance in Bangladesh.

He has been the head of the Department of Epidemiology of the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) before his current role.

His research works were mainly focused on disease surveillance, infectious and lifestyle diseases epidemiology and public health policy issues.

He led many national and international projects as principal investigator and authored 89 research publications and studies published in global journals.

Prof Rahman led the pandemic H1N1 commonly known as swine flu response in Bangladesh that received global appreciation.