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.
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 |
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 |
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| 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) |
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| Mai Mahui, Naivasha June 2020 to June 2023 | June 2022 |
EAC (02 wks In-country training) National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment) |
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| 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 |
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 |
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 |
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|
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 |
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) |
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| Tororo hospital May 2022 | ongoing |
EAC (02 wks In-country training) National Response Mechanisms (sustained deployment) |
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| 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 |
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 | |