This paper describes an international collaboration to carry out studies that contributed to the understanding of pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of several diseases of public health importance for Thailand and the United States. In Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand, febrile syndromes, including
encephalitis,
hepatitis, hemorrhagic
fever, and
influenza-like illnesses, occurred commonly and were clinically diagnosed, but the etiology was rarely confirmed. Since 1982, the Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Hospital, the Thai Ministry of Public Health, and the US Army Component of the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, along with
vaccine manufacturers and universities, have collaborated on studies that evaluated and capitalized on improved diagnostic capabilities for
infections caused by
Japanese encephalitis,
hepatitis A,
dengue, and influenza viruses. The collaboration clarified clinical and epidemiological features of these
infections and, in large clinical trials, demonstrated that
vaccines against
Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis A viruses were over 90% efficacious, supporting licensure of both
vaccines. With the introduction of
Japanese encephalitis vaccines in Thailand's Expanded Program on Immunization, reported
encephalitis rates dropped substantially. Similarly, in the US, particularly in the military populations, rates of
hepatitis A disease have dropped with the use of
hepatitis A vaccine. Studies of the pathogenesis of
dengue infections have increased understanding of the role of cellular immunity in responding to these
infections, and epidemiological studies have prepared the province for studies of
dengue vaccines. Approximately 80 publications resulted from this collaboration. Studies conducted in Kamphaeng Phet provided experience that contributed to clinical trials of
hepatitis E and
HIV vaccines, conducted elsewhere. To provide a base for continuing studies, The Kamphaeng Phet-AFRIMS Virology Research Unit (KAVRU) was established. This paper reviews the origins of the collaboration and the scientific observations made between 1982 and 2012.