Dr. Phillip has been asked to attend a toxicology conference in Nepal in December to learn from and further collaborate with international experts interested in helping in Bhutan
Work has begun on the development of clinical guidelines to treat lead exposure and poisoning
Dr. Phillip has been invited to be on a panel for the virtual launch of a target product profile for a low-cost blood lead level test. This could be a game changer for blood lead testing globally.
Work is nearing completion on a five-year strategy to address lead poisoning nationally, and an endorsement is anticipated in the near future
WHO South-East Asia Lead Expert Meeting, Kathmandu, Nepal
Dr. Phillip was invited by WHO to participate in a multi-country workshop to collaborate on lead exposure in the South-East Asia Region. Fifty experts, NGO representatives, and country representatives joined for the 3-day meeting. It was an excellent opportunity to network, share strategies, and collaborate on future plans.
Article in PLOS Global Public Health Reaches International Audience
Colleagues at the Ministry of Health, the National Referral Hospital, and the Medical University publish the findings from the National Blood Lead Level Survey in an international peer-reviewed journal.
Click here to read the full article.
2nd Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure, London England
Dr. Phillip Erbele presented the findings from Bhutan’s National Blood Lead Level Survey at the Centre for Global Development’s lead conference in London, England in June.
Click here to watch Dr. Phillip’s presentation. - advance the video to 3:04:20 to watch Dr. Phillip
Bhutan Broadcasting Service documentary on Lead Poisoning
In response to the findings from the National Blood Lead Level Survey, BBS, Bhutan’s national television station, recorded a documentary on the lead situation in Bhutan and efforts being made to address it.
Full report from the National Blood Lead Level Survey, 2024
The full report of the NBLLS is available on the website of the Ministry of Health, Bhutan. IPSAHD contributed in significant ways to the survey and the report. The data is a critical baseline to monitor all future lead prevention efforts in the country.
Release of the National Blood Lead Level Survey Factsheet
During the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2024, the Ministry of Health released the National Blood Lead Level Survey Factsheet which was a preview of the NBLLS full report. IPSAHD and Dr. Phillip were vital to the national survey, which confirmed lead poisoning is pervasive in Bhutanese children.
First study searching for lead sources in Bhutan
The November issue of the Bhutan Health Journal published, “Potential sources of lead in children’s environment, Thimphu, Bhutan”, the first X-Ray Fluorescence study searching of lead sources in Bhutan. Dr. Phillip trained the enumerators and was an investigator in the study.
Pioneer work on lead poisoning in Bhutan
The November issue of the Bhutan Health Journal published “Blood Lead Levels in children 2 through 59 months old in Bhutan”, the first of its kind study in Bhutan. IPSAHD and Drs. Phillip & Krista Erbele were instrumental in this ground-breaking study.