Establishing and Optimizing NPHIs in Africa

Sponsors: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Date: Saturday, 8 December 2018
Time: 8:00-12:00
Location: Niger/Enugu

No invitations necessary; open to all conference registrants

TARGET AUDIENCE:
This symposium will be of interest to lead SLIPTA/SLMTA implementers and key stakeholders such as Ministry of Health leadership, partners, hospital administrations, and clinicians.

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION:
Laboratory services are the cornerstone of health systems and, if well-integrated with surveillance systems, are essential to robust detection and response to public health threats. There has been enormous progress made in Africa to strengthen laboratory capacity to meet the needs of HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis programmes. Now, ASLM is supporting Africa CDC with taking the next steps to improve resilience to emerging threats as witnessed with the recent Ebola virus and Lassa Fever outbreaks in West and Central Africa.

This session seeks to bring together conference attendees to exchange on ways to assist with the implementation of Africa CDC’s strategic priorities related to surveillance, information systems, and laboratory capacity, and discuss the implementation of National Public Health Institutes (NPHI) in the African member states.

The Africa CDC special session will address the following:

  • Improving early detection through improvement of laboratory diagnostic capabilities of high priority pathogens including antimicrobial resistant bacteria, viruses, and parasites;
  • Developing mechanisms for laboratory systems and networks to ensure referral of information, specimens, isolates, or other materials between public and private facilities at different tiers of the health system;
  • Dissemination and implementation of quality assurance, surveillance, and information management systems; and
  • Setting up and/or empowering NPHIs for timely and accurate laboratory and epidemic surveillance.

Presenters:

  • Yenew Kebede, Africa CDC
  • Samba Diallo, Africa CDC
  • Marguerite Massinga Loembé, Africa CDC