Yaoundé, 2 September 2008 -- Improving Africa’s laboratory services—currently characterized by inadequate staffing, equipment and supplies—is critical to disease control efforts as this will lead to prompt and appropriate responses to epidemics; quicker and better disease detection; and better patient management.

A report to be discussed on Tuesday in Yaounde at the fifty-eighth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, says that public health laboratories in the Region are in dire need of strengthening to respond to the high and growing health threats to Africans.

“Despite the growing threat from emerging and re-merging pathogens, very few laboratories have the capacities for diagnosing highly infectious diseases such as viral haemorrhagic fever, severe acute respiratory syndrome, chikungunya and the highly pathogenic influenza virus” says the report, prepared for the meeting by the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

The report says Member States continue to ship specimens to other countries for confirmation, thus resulting in delayed response to outbreaks. The establishment of centres of excellence or public health laboratories to provide diagnostic services thus constitutes a huge challenge for most countries in the African Region. It recommends a combination of complementary measures, actions and strategies to address the Region’s weak laboratory capacity.

Among these are the development of a comprehensive national laboratory policy, the formulation of a national laboratory strategic plan, the setting up of national public health reference laboratories, and the strengthening of laboratory leadership by ensuring that the laboratory agenda is a central component of national health systems.

Countries also need to strengthen laboratory staff training at all levels, ensure maintenance of equipment, strengthen public health laboratory supply and distribution systems, improve management information systems, monitor and evaluate laboratory services, and ensure adequate funding for services through several mechanisms, including government budgetary provision and income-generating activities.

For further information:

Technical contact:

Dr Jean Bosco Ndihokubwayo

Tel: + 47 241 39269

E-mail: ndihokubwayoj [at] afro.who.int (ndihokubwayoj[at]afro[dot]who[dot]int)

Media contact:

Samuel Ajibola

Tel : +47 241 39378

E-mail : ajibolas [at] afro.who.int (ajibolas[at]afro[dot]who[dot]int)