Laos

Indicators of health in Laos are relatively low, with life expectancy of 63 years and a high infant mortality rate of 62 per 1000 live births, whilst 74.1% of the population live on less than US$2 per day.

In 2000, MORU started a collaboration with Laos' main internal medicine facility, Mahosot Hospital in the capital city, Vientiane. This work is designed to provide Lao health workers and the Lao Government with key data that will allow them to make evidence-based decisions for individual patients and for health policy.

Our principle research areas in Laos are the epidemiology and treatment of malaria, typhoid, typhus, community-acquired septicaemia, meningitis and the causes of acute febrile illness (the most common medical presentation in the country).

We also work on the epidemiology of infantile beri-beri, which is thought to be a significant contributor to the country's high infant mortality rate. Drug quality is thought to be poor and we have conducted the random sampling of drugs to objectively estimate the prevalence of counterfeit and sub-standard drugs in the country.
 
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Mekong sunset
Sunset over the Mekong River, Laos
 
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