Clinical Laboratory Networks Contribute to Strengthening Disease Surveillance: The RESAOLAB Project in West Africa

Josette Najjar-Pellet,Flabou Bougoudogo,Jean-Louis Machuron,Iyane Sow,Jean Sakandé,Christophe Longuet,Christophe Paquet

doi:10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19960

Abstract

Sufficient laboratory capacity is essential to effective infectious disease surveillance and control. This is recognized in the current International Health Regulations (IHR), which identify laboratory services as a category of core capacities that all the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States are expected to develop and maintain ( 1 ). IHR Core Capacity 8 requires laboratory services for every phase of real-time event management (i.e., detection, investigation, and response), with sample analysis being performed either domestically or through collaboration centers ( 2 ). (Published: 25 January 2013) Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6 : 19960 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19960

Highlights

Laboratory services are considered a key component of national health systems, with the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) utilizing the structures, processes and personnel of national clinical laboratory services for disease surveillance
Meeting participants called on national governments to develop national laboratory policies and to provide laboratory support for diseases of public health importance; and they called on donors and development partners to commit to work collaboratively with each other and with coordination from national governments to strengthen laboratory systems (4)
In 2009, in response to official demands from the Ministries of Health of two neighboring countries, Burkina Faso and Senegal, and with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD) and Fondation Merieux, the Mali network was expanded into a threecountry regional network called RESAOLAB

Summary

Introduction

Laboratory services are considered a key component of national health systems, with the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) utilizing the structures, processes and personnel of national clinical laboratory services for disease surveillance. Challenges include lack of national laboratory policy and strategic planning, insufficient numbers of trained professionals, poor laboratory infrastructures, and absence of quality management systems (3).

Results

Conclusion