Cambodia & Institut Pasteur: Renewed ambitions in the face of regional health challenges

The Institut Pasteur of Cambodia outlines the contours of its public health of tomorrow

Meeting at its Annual Liaison Council on June 19, 2026, the Institut Pasteur of Cambodia presented a strong review of its activities and expressed renewed ambitions in response to regional health challenges.

Annual Liaison Council on June 19, 2026

In a spirit of transparency and cooperation, the Institut Pasteur of Cambodia (IPC) held its Annual Liaison Council on Friday, June 19. Chaired by His Excellency Professor Chheang Ra, Cambodia’s Minister of Health, the session brought together ten permanent members from the highest levels of government and academia in the country, alongside the Director General of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, the French Ambassador to Cambodia, and representatives of leading international organizations — notably WHO and UNICEF.

Key IPC partners, including Calmette Hospital, the Kantha Bopha Foundation, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), and the National Center for Malaria Control (CNM), participated as invited members, demonstrating the Institute’s deep integration within Cambodia’s health ecosystem.

A mission at the heart of major epidemics

Following opening remarks by H.E. Professor Chheang Ra, Ms. Odette Tomescu-Hatto, Director of International Affairs at the Institut Pasteur, and Mr. Olivier Richard, French Ambassador to Cambodia, Professor André Spiegel presented IPC’s activity report and future outlook. Throughout his presentation, he reiterated the institution’s threefold mission: contributing to disease prevention and treatment through research, public health initiatives, training, and medical services.

IPC relies on seven research units dedicated to infectious diseases and emerging pathogens affecting Cambodia and Southeast Asia: human and avian influenza, chikungunya, dengue, HIV, hepatitis, rabies, malaria, tuberculosis, and antimicrobial resistance. Several large-scale multidisciplinary projects, approached through a “One Health” framework, were highlighted — notably RACSMEI, ECOMORE, VIRAGE, AFRICAM, and SEA-ROADS — mobilizing IPC teams in close collaboration with Cambodian and international partners.

60,200 patients treated for rabies

Beyond fundamental research, IPC plays a decisive role in directly protecting the population. The Institute operates three national and international reference centers, as well as Cambodia’s largest rabies prevention center, spread across three sites — Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Kampong Cham. Over the past year, this system provided post-exposure treatment to 60,200 people, a figure that alone illustrates the scale of needs addressed daily by IPC. The Medical Biology Laboratory and the Environment and Food Safety Laboratory (LEFS) complement this service offering, while IPC is also developing capacities in bioinformatics and artificial intelligence to support scientific advancement.

Training the next generation in Cambodia

One of the key aspects of Professor Spiegel’s presentation focused on developing the skills of young Cambodian researchers. In 2025, eight Cambodian doctoral candidates were enrolled in PhD programs supported by IPC; two of them successfully defended their dissertations during the year. Two young researchers also joined the Institute’s permanent scientific staff, a tangible sign of a long-term knowledge transfer strategy. This dynamic is part of a strengthened partnership with the University of Health Sciences (UHS), which notably includes a master’s program in infectious diseases.

Structural challenges that can no longer be delayed

Looking ahead, Professor Spiegel highlighted increasing constraints facing the institution: a campus nearing capacity, the need to strengthen IPC’s economic model, and the urgency of continuing to develop team capabilities. Members of the Liaison Council commended the quality and diversity of the work accomplished while emphasizing the strong ties with the Ministry of Health.

The session concluded with several strategic recommendations: expanding the Institute’s infrastructure, reorganizing research and surveillance activities, strengthening interministerial cooperation within a One Health framework, and the need for upstream action against risks of animal-to-human transmission — particularly through dog population control and vector control efforts.