Building laboratory capacity to combat disease outbreaks in Africa

The major Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 has brought the world’s attention to the critical demands of health systems strengthening in Africa. Global health responses to outbreaks have never before been tested to the extent driven by Ebola; however, many lessons were learned and countries are actively working on bolstering capacity to detect and respond effectively to Ebola and other outbreaks of global health security importance. Laboratory testing played a key role in the response, and a number of key improvements in laboratory capacity have been made since 2014, with support from African and international partners, including the African Society for Laboratory Medicine, the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others. ....