Vietnam weighs awarding Third-Class Labor Medal to Japanese professor

According to the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, Professor Dr. Yoshida Lay Myint, head of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, currently leads the clinical research group of international projects conducted by Nagasaki University in Vietnam.

His main areas of research include acute respiratory infections caused by viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and various other viruses and bacteria.

He has conducted extensive research on dengue fever, drug-resistant HIV, and various community health concerns.

Since 2006, Professor Myint has served as the official representative and coordinator for Nagasaki University’s Institute of Tropical Medicine in Khanh Hoa Province.

He has made significant contributions to collaborative scientific research projects between the institute and the Khanh Hoa Department of Health, as well as with Vietnam’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Over the past nearly 20 years, research groups under Professor Myint's leadership have carried out many important studies on infectious diseases in Vietnam, particularly on pneumococcal bacteria, dengue fever, and other illnesses.

Research findings by Professor Yoshida and his teams have been published in more than 100 scientific papers, contributing greatly to clarifying global health issues, offering practical community applications, and helping control infectious diseases in Vietnam and other countries.

According to the Pasteur Institute, Professor Myint has made many notable contributions in scientific research collaboration, training, and technology transfer.

These efforts have significantly contributed to socio-economic development and strengthened the healthcare sector in Khanh Hoa Province, especially in protecting and improving public health.

Professor Myint has expressed his desire to contribute to community health, particularly child health in Vietnam.

In 2006, he and his colleagues selected Khanh Hoa as the first site for research on acute respiratory infections in children.

This project was financially supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development. The research identified major pathogens including respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and influenza A, revealing the role of co-infections and virus-bacteria interactions in pneumonia development.

In 2016, Professor Myint's team established a project office at the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang to conduct the study titled 'Evaluation of Reduced-Dose Pneumococcal Vaccine Schedule in Children Aged Two Months to Three Years in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa.'

This study was conducted under a directive from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2019, Professor Myint and his team closely collaborated with the Pasteur Institute and relevant health agencies to conduct three key COVID-19 studies.

Most recently, Professor Myint has initiated and coordinated a new project with the Pasteur Institute and the Khanh Hoa Department of Health titled 'Community- and Hospital-Based Study of Dengue Fever in Nha Trang, Vietnam,” conducted from 2025 to 2029.