results
Around 70 participants including leading figures in clinical biology from Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, gathered in Lomé for the Second RESAOLAB International Steering Committee meeting. At the start of the meeting, Dr. Jean-Louis Machuron, Program Coordinator, presented the actions the network has undertaken in response to the Ebola epidemic and to support its members.
Three member countries have been affected by the epidemic: Guinea, where it started eight months ago, Senegal, which has successfully stopped it, and Mali, which recently recorded its first deaths.
Since June, the Mérieux Foundation has been shipping secure sample kits so that specimens can be safely sent from peripheral labs to reference laboratories or laboratory directorates.
Through RESAOLAB, the Mérieux Foundation provided secure sample kits with user guides to the seven RESAOLAB countries as well as Cameroun and Guinea-Bissau. Transportation to the P4 Jean Mérieux laboratory is pre-paid by Mérieux Foundation and the secure system for shipping the samples is coordinated by Bioport, enabling countries to test samples as quickly as possible. The system was established with Institut Pasteur and Inserm, which manages the P4 Jean Mérieux laboratory.
Meeting participants looked at how replace emergency measures with a long-term solution and a system to ensure that each country can perform its own diagnostic testing. They discussed:
- Protective equipment for laboratory personnel
- Training laboratory personnel on hemorrhagic fevers and biosecurity
- An EBOLA e-learning training module
- Providing expertise in West Africa
Although much of the meeting focused on Ebola, workshops also addressed other topics including: training modules for laboratory technicians, laboratory accreditation and network management as well as strategies to promote knowledge sharing, stronger diagnostic capabilities and international partnerships.