The East African Community’s mobile laboratory network’s rapid response during the first 2 weeks of the Ebola Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in Uganda and pandemic preparedness activities in South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya

Within the first 14 days after outbreak confirmation, the East African Community Mobile laboratory network was actively involved in providing Sudan virus disease and differential diagnostics in the epicentre at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital (and neighbouring districts), as well as in coordinati...

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Published in:	BMJ global health 2022-12, Vol.7 (12), p.e011073
Main Authors:	Gehre, Florian, Lagu, Hakim, Achol, Emmanuel, Omari, Neema, Ochido, Grace, Duraffour, Sophie, Hinzmann, Julia, Kezakarayagwa, Eric, Kabatesi, Francine, Nkeshimana, Anatole, Nyandwi, Joseph, Samson, Donald Duku, Nykwec, Gwokpan Awin, Lokore, Michael Lasuba, Deng, Lul Lojok, Kelly, Maria Ezekielly, Mkama, Peter Bernard Mtesigwa, Magesa, Alex, Beyanga, Medard, Roba, Abdi, Ndia, Millicent, Lokamar, Peter, Kiiru, John, Kabanda, Alice, Mukagatare, Isabelle, Kabalisa, Emmanuel, Rutayisire, Robert, Sewanyana, Isaac, Nambozo, Eunice Jennifer, Muyigi, Tonny, Pimundu, Godfrey, May, Jürgen, Katende, Michael, Nabadda, Susan, Nzeyimana, Eric, Affara, Muna
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Arboviruses Burundi Commentary Disease Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control East African People Ebola virus Epidemics Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - epidemiology Hospitals Humans Kenya Laboratories Pandemics Public Health Rwanda - epidemiology Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 South Sudan - epidemiology Tanzania Uganda - epidemiology
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Summary:	Within the first 14 days after outbreak confirmation, the East African Community Mobile laboratory network was actively involved in providing Sudan virus disease and differential diagnostics in the epicentre at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital (and neighbouring districts), as well as in coordination of mobile laboratory preparedness activities in five other East African countries. Introduction On 20 September 2022, the Ugandan Ministry of Health declared an Ebola Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in the Mubende District of the country, with one confirmed SVD death and six probable deaths reported in the region since 1 September 2022.1 Since 2017, and with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the KfW Development Bank, the East African Community (EAC) together with the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine established a network of nine mobile EAC laboratories embedded within the National Public Health Laboratories (NPHLs) of six EAC Partner States (Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda).2 3 These field-deployable mobile laboratories have the capacity to diagnose risk group four pathogens, such as SVD. On the same day of the SVD outbreak announcement (20 September 2022) by the Ugandan government, the EAC Health Department initiated their regional pandemic preparedness and response activities, which consisted of a two-pronged approach: while the mobilisation of the EAC mobile laboratory network commenced, the regional procurement of diagnostic kits for SVD and differential diagnosis was immediately initiated (for a detailed timeline of events, see table 1).Table 1 Timeline of regional SVD outbreak response and preparedness activities in six East African countries Days following outbreak announcement 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 SVD outbreak declared by Uganda MoH EAC secretariat Emergency pandemic preparedness meetings Emergency procurement initiated Logistical support (kit delivery) Technical country support Press Release No of SVD kits ordered/expected 1×96 tests (arrival day 20) Uganda SVD outbreak response Request for support to EAC Lab deployment from Kampala to Mubende Start of testing No of SVD kits ordered/received 4×96 tests No. Diagnostic workflows, standard operating procedures and supply of diagnostics kits The EAC Mobile laboratories consist of negative pressure gloveboxes (Könnecke, Germany) (see figure 2) for sample inactivation and Bio-Rad CFX96 RT-PCR pl
ISSN:	2059-7908 2059-7908