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Identification of novel viral infections of human concern provides continued opportunity for strengthening systemic public health capacity in Southeast Asia

An effective systemic approach which includes appropriate governance mechanisms, policies, and management in producing effective technical skills and resources are important towards building sustainable public health systems in responding to infectious disease threats [Potter and Brough, 2004]. Such approaches are important in building and sustaining disease surveillance capacities to anticipate the emergence of infectious diseases especially in regions like Southeast Asia which are socially, demographically and economically diverse. The challenges that are faced in Southeast Asia in the prevention and control of infectious diseases are many that include numerous factors that drive the emergence of infectious diseases including novel viruses to ensuring surveillance systems are able to timely detect and monitor infectious diseases [Coker et al., 2011; Pitsuwan 2011]. In the present issue of the Journal, the study by Singh and colleagues provides a stark reminder on the emergence of infectious diseases, specifically human infection caused by Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV) among people living in the city of Hue in Central Vietnam. The identification of 12 ELISA positive cases having antibodies raised against this novel viral cause of respiratory infection is an important finding that highlights the potential of spill over events from zoonotic sources into human populations. Additionally, the identification of the presence of neutralizing antibodies to PRV present in 6/12 of these cases with titers as high as 1:1,280 (in 2 cases; 32 and 68 years old) suggest the possibility of cycles of re-infection. Interestingly, while human-to-human transmission of PRV has been limited, these finding may suggest the repeated exposure to a vector potentially, bats as the source of infection. Although previously reported human infection cases with PRV have been mild (non-fatal), the increasing number of cases of locally transmitted respiratory infections caused by PRV in humans in Malaysia and imported cases from Malaysia and Indonesia to Japan and Hong Kong as cited in the study by Singh et al. [2015] must be continuously monitored especially in Southeast Asia to detect a potential change of virulence of this genetically diverse group of viruses. The expansion of geographical areas to include other regions in Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia is also important in understanding the transmission factors of PRV in causing human respiratory infections and understanding the extent of distribution of these infections among human populations in the region. The elucidation of risk factors such as environmental exposure to bats and the contribution of bats as a reservoir of PRV in the evolution of this virus should also be explored in future studies. Building sustainable surveillance capacities in laboratory and clinical diagnosis of PRV and other respiratory infection pathogens should be addressed to ensure that effective public health measures can be implemented in a timely and effective manner. The development of immunological diagnosis systems for infectious diseases in capacity constrained settings such as Central Vietnam and sustaining these detection capacities provides a useful model for other countries in Southeast Asia in monitoring theemergence of novel infectious disease agents.