Scientists call for measures to enhance disease surveillance in West Africa

Ms. Candace Eastman, CEO of Africabio Enterprises Inc., Conference presenting appreciation award to Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of Ghana Health Service, conference co-host for the overwhelming support for the conference. Looking on is Ms. Clarine Vaughan,Vice President of Africabio Enterprises Inc.

Health researchers and scientists are urging West African governments to strengthen laboratory systems at all levels across the subregion to better detect and manage infectious diseases.

“There is an urgent need to enhance disease surveillance, epidemic prevention and laboratory system capacity in readiness for emerging and re-emerging infections,” concluded the scientists at the recent CelebrateLAB® West Africa 2021 Conference in Accra, Ghana.

Health Laboratory systems in West Africa face a number of challenges including inadequate infrastructure, limited capacity to detect drug resistance diseases coupled with lack of robust gene sequencing facilities, whiles lack of standards across laboratories in the subregion remains a significant issue.

Diagnosis is the backbone of modern medicine, the scientific experts affirmed, stating that substandard laboratory capacity poses challenges to Global Health Security and greatly undermines capabilities to curb pandemics. “Good national laboratory systems ensure improved surveillance systems that help to quickly detect outbreaks, monitor and implement interventions,” Conference delegates stated in a Communique issued in Accra, Ghana.

The Conference called for a comprehensive and effective monitoring system for surveillance of infectious diseases to ensure early detection and timely intervention. Governments in West Africa must commit resources to the development of the sector, stated the delegates. The conference proposed regional and national investment of about 5% of GDP in surveillance systems and for pandemic preparedness.

The conference, under the theme: “Combating emerging and reemerging infectious through standardization of laboratory practice across West Africa,” brought together more than 250 onsite and virtual participants, from West Africa countries, as well as Uganda, Zimbabwe and United States of America, to deliberate on ways to strengthen laboratory systems in West Africa to improve health outcomes.

Convened by Africabio Enterprises Inc., the Accra conference was organized in partnership with Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists and co-hosted by the Ghana Health Service and Akai House Clinic.

Covid-19 has compounded Africa’s disease burden with the continent already dealing with Malaria, HIV, TB and Lassa Fever. The research and medical laboratory scientists called for the establishment of an integrated surveillance of COVID-19, Ebola, Lassa Fever, Typhoid and other infections. They encouraged the development of one discriminating or multiplex testing – similar to the Multiplex Test Kit developed by Liberian Biomedical Research Scientist, Dr. Chris Nyan Dougbeh – that can differentiate between TB, Malaria and Covid-19. The Nyan Diagnostic Test is capable of detecting and distinguishing between 3 to 7 infections in an hour.
The Conference further noted that access to vaccines and treatment is crucial to Global Health Security.

“The recent Covid-19 crisis revealed countries’ lack of adequate preparedness to pandemics, non-compliance with international best practices and ill suited medical research. It also highlighted the need to prioritize accreditation of clinical, research and public health laboratories as a matter of urgency.”
A number of laboratories in the subregion are ready for accreditation but face constraints, including: lack of support from their institutional/facility managers, unavailability of accreditation bodies in the West Africa region, the unwillingness to commit resources in the training of persons to assist with the accreditation and the lack of councils or regulatory bodies that are solely responsible for the Medical Laboratories in the subregion. The Conference urged governments in the subregion to prioritize accreditation of clinical, research and public health laboratories as a matter of urgency.

The Conference concluded that the continuous occurrence of infection outbreaks indicates the importance of reducing collective and individual vulnerability to infectious diseases threats.
Conference delegates bemoaned the lack of research capacity in Africa, especially in the area of sequencing and interventions that suit the African context during pandemics. They called on governments in the subregion to commit resources into research, especially in the medical field. “We believe that African governments must take decisions based on local research, and not just copy the western countries.”

The Conference called for the establishment of regional regulatory bodies to regulate clinical, research and public health laboratories.

On management of hazardous laboratory waste to control reemergence of infectious diseases, the Conference called for the development of a waste management programme that includes segregation of laboratory waste for implementation at all laboratory levels, and training of laboratory personnel and cleaners in waste management, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

The Conference noted the recent pandemic has further highlighted the urgent need to work towards sub regional self-sufficiency in health laboratory medicine. The Conference further noted that local innovators and businesses in the sector face a number of obstacles including competition from government and government agencies, unstable currency, taxes and import duties, and regulatory demands and cumbersome processes – which seems to be stricter for local businesses and startups than foreign ones.

The Conference called on governments in the subregion to re-prioritize and increase budgetary allocations for healthcare, science and technology.

“Governments must support local innovations and manufacturing of laboratory equipment, materials, test kits and reagents. Countries need to support growth stage of startups through tax waivers and other assistance that makes the environment conducive for business to thrive.”

The Conference also encouraged regulatory bodies to work with startups to expedite regulatory requirements to encourage local production. During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, local innovators faced a number of challenges with the regulatory approval processes. Incas Diagnostics, the Ghanaian startup developer and manufacturer of low-cost easy-to-use medical diagnostics kits was one of them. The company was unable to secure approval for its Covid-19 rapid diagnostics test kit that could have helped Ghana expand testing.

The Conference proposed that regional bodies such as Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), Africa Union (AU) and Africa CDC should be brought on board to help develop a harmonized system that enables local innovation and production.
Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (BMS) play key roles in infectious diseases detection and prevention of drug resistance infections.

The conference called on governments in the sub region to increase investment in the training of laboratory scientists and researchers, and to involve the professionals in the formulation of national and regional policies on the sector as these are vital to strengthening laboratory systems in the region.
Ghana was chosen again to host the 2022 conference. Conference Ambassadors, who shape the structure and content of CelebrateLAB® West Africa, cited the enormous support received from the hosting partners, especially the Ghana Health Service, and ease of travel to and from Ghana during the Covid-19 pandemic period as some of the main reasons for voting Ghana.

About CelebrateLAB®

West Africa
CelebrateLAB is an annual meeting for research and medical laboratory professionals. The conference, usually held during the internationally marked Laboratory Professionals’ week in April, brings together research and medical laboratory scientists, physicians, regulators, policy makers and vendors to discuss ways to strengthen diagnostics across West Africa to improve health outcomes.
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Efam Dovi
PR & Outreach

Source : africaneditors.com