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EAC Mobile Laboratories Project - Photo Gallery

 

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Phase 1

EAC Mobile Laboratories Project - Video Materials

 

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Training on Antimicrobial Resistance and Monkeypox Diagnosis

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Practical Laboratory Training & Field Simulation Exercise (FSX) at Namanga, Kenya/Tanzania Border - Full Documentary

 

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Practical Laboratory Training - Training of Trainers (TOT)

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Practical Laboratory Training - Handling Infectious Specimen

 

  • An Overview of the EAC Mobile Laboratories Project and its regional importance

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Practical Laboratory Training & Field Simulation Exercise (FSX) at Namanga, Kenya/Tanzania Border - Field Simulation Exercise

 

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Training on Ebola Emergency Response - Highlights

EAC-RNPHRL-CD Phase I interventions

Project key information

  • Project executing agency (PEA): EAC Secretariat
  • Financing partner: German Development Bank (KfW)
  • Implementation period: phase I (2017-2020; extension to December 2022)
  • Implementing partners: EAC Partner States' Public Health Reference Laboratories
  • Technical consultant: Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) (4 Technical Staff seconded to EAC Secretariat)
  • Procurement consultants: GOPA Infra in phase I
  • Project staffing: 3 Coordination Staff, EAC Secretariat
Key Objective:

The purpose of phase I (2017 to 2020) of the EAC regional network of public health reference laboratories for Communicable Diseases project was to install nine (9) mobile laboratories units in order to strengthen the capacity of EAC Partner States to detect and respond to viral pathogens of biosafety levels 3 and 4 nature, with a particular focus on Viral Haemorrhagic Viruses (VHFs), such as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic (CCHF), Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), Yellow Fever, Rift Valley Fever, among others.

Mobile Labs components web


These mobile laboratories are of modular design and, depending on the need, can be packed up in 15-20 boxes and rapidly deployed to any potential outbreak either by car, plane or boat. The key equipment of these laboratories is a BSL3/4 containment glovebox in which viruses and bacteria can be inactivated and rendered non-infectious for further diagnosis. The current setup of these phase I laboratories, however, does not allow the detection of bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, as these analyses require pre-culture steps of viable bacteria for accurate diagnosis. This gap in diagnostic capacity was a priority issue raised during recent discussions with the Ministries of Health (MoH) and National Public Health Laboratories (NPHLs), during phase I of the mobile laboratory project.

Currently, none of the partner countries has the capacity to safely culture bacterial pathogens in the field and therefore samples need to be collected from peripheral health centres and sent to centralised reference labs (mostly in capital cities) for culturing, diagnosis and antimicrobial resistance testing.

Deployment of Mobile Laboratories in the Region during outbreaks as of 30th June, 2022

mobile labs map web

 

 

Mobile Laboratories Project Statistics

The mobile laboratories field mission serves as; the first respondent to confirm the cause of disease outbreaks (x21), strengthen diagnostics preparedness capacities(x9), and to conduct scientific research (x12). A total of 42 field missions have been conducted in Phase I.

EAC Mobile lab tent at IFX Istanbul Turkey

 

In Summary:

  • 27/27 field missions completed under Phase I (100%);
  • 15/18 field missions with phase I modular labs completed under phase II (83%); and
  • 0/18 field missions with AMR container labs completed under phase II (0%).

Summary of Field Missions Conducted by the EAC Mobile Laboratories each Partner State

S/N Partner State Field Mission  (Outbreak, Training or Studies) Location/ Period Duration Facilitated by
01.

Burundi 
(09)

Sustained COVID-19 deployment to support the COVID-19 national response mechanisms. Songore Ngozi province; August 2020 1week National Response Mechanisms
Kobero OSBP/ Muyinga province; Aug to Sept 2020

3 weeks

National Response Mechanisms

Kiremba; Ngozi province; June 2021

2 weeks National Response Mechanisms

Kirundo; June 2021

2 weeks National Response Mechanisms
NPHL; 2020 to 2022 2 years EAC
COVID-19 field missions for RDT evaluation NPHL; 02 weeks EAC

EVD surveillance / preparedness

& Refresher training for 12 experts

Kobero - Muyinga province; Oct 2022 02 weeks EAC
Muyinga province; 26th June to 9th July 2023 02 weeks EAC
Mission to assess the prevalence of enteric pathogens Rumonge province; Bujumbura 02 weeks EAC
02.

Kenya
(06)

       
Sustained COVID-19 deployment to support the COVID-19 national response mechanisms. Namanga Health Centre/ Kajiado; ongoing May 2020 to date

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

Mai Mahui, Naivasha June 2020 to June 2023 June 2022

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak mission

NVRL, early 2021

2 weeks National Response Mechanisms

Molecular Detection of Selected Bacterial Enteropathogens

Kiambu/ NVRL; March 2023 2 weeks EAC
Molecular Diagnosis of viruses in non-malaria acute febrile illnesses in Garissa County, Kenya

Garissa; 11th July – 25th July 2023

2 weeks EAC
03.

Rwanda
(05)

Sustained COVID-19 deployment to support the COVID-19 national response mechanisms.

Kirehe hospital; May to Dec 2020

02 weeks

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

Kigali airport; Dec 2020 to date ongoing National Response Mechanisms
Rusizi, Western Province; May 2020 to Jan 2023 ongoing National Response Mechanisms
1 COVID-19 field missions for RDT evaluation. NPHL, 2021 02 weeks EAC
EVD deployment in Ruhengeri, Northern Province Sept 2022 to Jan 2023 ongoing National Response Mechanisms
4.

South Sudan
(05)

Sustained COVID-19 deployment as part of the national response mechanisms. Nimule; May 2020 to June 2023 02 weeks

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

COVID-19 field missions for RDT evaluation. Nimule; August to Dec 2020 2 weeks EAC
Cholera, Shigella and Salmonella Bentiu and Juba 2 weeks EAC
EVD surveillance/ preparedness Nimule in Dec, 2022 02 weeks EAC
Hepatitis E virus mission July 2023 02 weeks EAC
    Refresher training July 2023 02 weeks EAC
5.

Tanzania
(09)

       

One Dengue outbreak analysis (determining the outbreak serotype using novel technology)

EAC Secretariat 2 weeks EAC
2 COVID-19 field missions in Zanzibar for RDT evaluation Zanzibar; 2021 4 weeks EAC
deployment to support centralized testing NPHL; May 2020 ongoing National Response Mechanisms
One sustained field deployment for COVID-19 response Ngorongoro Conservation area (Oct 2021 to Dec 2022); 02 years National Response Mechanisms
Two (02) field missions on diagnosis of non-COVID-19 Respiratory viruses NPHL; Feb- March 2023 04 weeks EAC
sustained Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) preparedness mission Kabyaile Health Center, Kagera Region; Oct to March 2023 04 months National Response Mechanisms
Sustained Marburg virus disease outbreak mission in URT Kabyaile Health Center, Kagera Region; March 2023 to date ongoing

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

6

Uganda
(06)

field mission at Uganda-DRC border to assist in EVD response

Kisoro Hospital,

2019

4 weeks EAC

Continuous Field deployment since June 2020 in the COVID-19 national response mechanisms

Adjumani Hospital, June 2020 ongoing

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

Tororo hospital May 2022 ongoing

EAC (02 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

2 COVID-19 field missions in Tororo and Arua for RDT evaluation Adjumani & Tororo (Mbale, Soroti); 2021  2 weeks EAC
Sustained Ebola Virus Disease Response Missions and a sustained deployment in Mubende, September, 2022 to March 2023 6 months

EAC (04 wks In-country training)

National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment)

MVD preparedness mission Mutukula; March 2023 to May 2023 02 months National Response Mechanisms
  Regional Missions EAC/WHO Simulation Exercises for the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) Namanga Health Centre/ Kajiado; June 2019 EAC
    EAC/WHO Simulation Exercises for the Rift Valley Fever (RVF)

Namanga,

 June 2019

1 weeks EAC

 

Training of Mobile Labs Experts 3

The project embarked on various training programs to create, maintain and expand the pool  of laboraoty experts in the EAC Region. In summary, a total of sixteen (16) training programs were conducted over the period, resulting in about 406 trained laboratory experts

Summary of Training Sessions Conducted by the EAC Mobile Laboratories  Project

S/N Training Program Total (406)  
Burundi Kenya Rwanda South Sudan Tanzania Uganda Total
1 Operation of mobile laboratories (practical for trainers) 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
2 Diagnosis and handling of biosafety level 3 and 4 pathogens (accelerated Ebola response) 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
3 Diagnosis of Corona Virus using BNITM in-house kits (trainers) 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
4 Operation of mobile laboratories in Partner States (users) 14 7 12 5 21 45 102
5 Shipment of infectious substance according to International regulations (IATA)          18 18 16 11 17 15 95
6 Seegene Analysis Software 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
7 Drivers of the mobile laboratory vehicles (specialized in use and maintenance) 2 5 2 2 3 5 19
8 M-pox diagnosis (emergency trainers) 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
9 Diagnosis of bacteriological pathogen identification and antibiotic resistance detection (trainers)  3 3 3 3 3 3 18
10     Local production of Proficiency Test (PT) panels for EQA programs (Partner States)   5 13 5 5 9 7 45
11 Diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease 0 0 0 0 0 8 8
12 Scientific manuscript writing 3 3 3 3 0 3 15
13 Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) (users) 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
14 Bioinformatics training on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
15 Bioinformatics training on genomic viral sequencing 2 2 2 2 2 2 12
16 Assay development (local production of testing kits)  2 2 2 1 2 3 12
  Total 63 65 57 47 71 103 406

 

EAC-RNPHRL-CD Project - Phase II Milestones

The project was established under directive (EAC/Health/SCM13/Directive 36). The key objective is to strengthen the capacity of Partner States to rapidly detect and respond to disease outbreaks. This is being achieved through the mobile laboratory networks divided into two phases of implementation. Phase II (2021-2024) focuses particularly on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and response.

  1. Procurement of container mobile laboratory units

  • Establishment of at least one (1) mobile BSL3 container laboratory unit for bacterial culture and mobile field sequencing and bioinformatics in each Partner States.
  •  The specifications have been agreed by all Partner States and procurement is ongoing to acquire at least six (6) additional mobile container laboratories units, equipment and vehicles, designed for antimicrobial resistance in phase II.
  • Linking all the mobile container laboratories with the existing mobile modular laboratories established under phase I.
  • Undertaking field missions for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and rapid regional response to disease outbreaks.

  1. Training of laboratory experts
  • Trainings are ongoing for laboratory experts in microbiology, bioinformatics, assay development, scientific writing, quality management systems, EQA etc.
  • Development of regional bio-engineering capacity.
  • Harmonisation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) across the laboratory network.
  • Data sharing in the mobile laboratory network through EAC Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)

 Mobile labs 8


 

  • EAC Mobile Laboratories Training on Antimicrobial Resistance and Monkeypox Diagnosis

 

 


East African Community
EAC Close
Afrika Mashariki Road
P.O. Box 1096
Arusha
United Republic of Tanzania

Tel: +255 (0)27 216 2100
Fax: +255 (0)27 216 2190
Email: eac@eachq.org  |  sgoffice@eachq.org