• Woottichai Khamduang, PhD Assistant Professor, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University

• Dr. Nicole Ngo-Giang-Huong, researcher, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)

• Dr. Sabrina Locatelli, researcher, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)

The current COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates how the zoonotic emergence and spread of a novel virus severely affects health, economic, and social systems. The most striking issue was the difficulty to rapidly deploy reliable diagnostic tests to identify the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Future spillover events of similar or different pathogens are a near certainty and could threaten public health beyond the country or region of emergence if not recognized and contained. Reducing the impact of emerging zoonotic infectious diseases will depend on better preparedness and developing more effective response strategies and the transmission cycles from reservoirs to intermediate/incidental hosts and detailing the role of environmental factors in spillover events. In addition, without a heightened awareness of the likelihood of zoonotic emergence and the development of diagnostic tests, early cases of HIV/AIDS, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Nipah virus encephalitis, SARS, and COVID-19 went undetected for weeks, months, or years before pathogen identification. New diagnostic technologies have proven key in decreasing the lags in pathogen identification, but access remains restricted chiefly to high-income countries. To better Protect from, Detect, and Stop spillover and spread of pathogens, we propose PRESTO, a joint multidisciplinary collaboration of experts and researchers from France, Laos, and Thailand, based on an ongoing long-term partnership, sharing the common goal of preventing and fighting emerging infectious diseases in the Greater Mekong region. Bringing together the complementary knowledge, experience, and expertise in biodiversity science, bioinformatics, disease ecology, epidemiology, molecular biology, public health, social sciences, and virology.

1) Determine the characteristics of the molecular biology, genetic diversity, and spreading of zoonotic viruses.

2) Identify animal reservoirs, both in wildlife and livestock.

3) Identify biodiversity-rich areas and potentially outbreak risk areas.

4) Identify behavior risks of exposure.

5) Develop detection tests for both animals and humans.

6) Develop community surveillance to prepare for future outbreaks.