Strengthening Biorisk Management Capacities in Burkina Faso: Contribution of the Global Health Security Agenda.

The Global Health Security Agenda and the International Health Regulations (2005) recommend that countries strengthen the capacity of their national laboratory systems to comply with the International Health Regulations. To efficiently and effectively direct these efforts, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Directorate of Laboratories, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine, and Integrated Quality Laboratory Service-assessed Burkina Faso's national laboratory system using the World Health Organization . Based on gaps observed in biorisk management, the Biosafety and Biosecurity Laboratory Assessment Tool (BSS LAT) was developed to assess 10 public laboratories handling dangerous pathogens.

A Multilingual Tool for Standardized Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Assessment and Monitoring.

Control of infectious diseases requires the handling of infectious materials by both clinical and public health laboratories with exposure risks for laboratory personnel and environment. A comprehensive tool for assessing the capacity to manage these risks could enable the development of action plans for mitigation. Under the framework of the Global Health Security Agenda action package for biosafety and biosecurity, the authors developed a tool dedicated to assessing laboratory biosafety and biosecurity.

Strengthening laboratory biosafety in Liberia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experience from the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme.

Background: The Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP) has biosafety and biosecurity as one of its core competencies and advocates for a One Health approach involving all relevant sectors across the human-animal-environment interface to empower national laboratory systems and strengthen health security. Decentralization of SARS-CoV-2 testing in Liberia coupled with an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections among laboratory professionals raised biosafety concerns. In response, a set of trainings on laboratory biosafety was launched for lab personnel across the country under the framework of the GLLP.

Development and implementation of National External Quality Assurance Programs in a One Health approach: The Armenian experience.

Introduction: Early warning and objective evidence of systematic errors in laboratory diagnosis ensures evidence based corrective and preventive actions that instill patient safety and confidence. External quality assessment contributes significantly to the above as an essential component of laboratory quality assurance. However, implementation of External Quality Assessment in resource-limited settings is challenged by high costs of enrolling in international schemes.

National Biosafety Management System: A Combined Framework Approach Based on 15 Key Elements.

The pervasive nature of infections causing major outbreaks have elevated biosafety and biosecurity as a fundamental component for resilient national laboratory systems. In response to international health security demands, the Global Health Security Agenda emphasizes biosafety as one of the prerequisites to respond effectively to infectious disease threats. However, biosafety management systems (BMS) in low-medium income countries (LMIC) remain weak due to fragmented implementation strategies.

Quality management system implementation in human and animal laboratories.

Background: The ability to rapidly detect emerging and re-emerging threats relies on a strong network of laboratories providing high quality testing services. Improving laboratory quality systems to ensure that these laboratories effectively play their critical role using a tailored stepwise approach can assist them to comply with the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHRs) and the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) guidelines.

Methods: Fifteen (15) laboratories in Armenia's human and veterinary laboratory networks were enrolled into a quality management system strengthening programme from 2017 to 2020.

SLIPTA e-Tool improves laboratory audit process in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Background: The Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist is used worldwide to drive quality improvement in laboratories in developing countries and to assess the effectiveness of interventions such as the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme. However, the paper-based format of the checklist makes administration cumbersome and limits timely analysis and communication of results.

Development Of E-tool: In early 2012, the SLMTA team in Vietnam developed an electronic SLIPTA checklist tool.

Strengthening public health laboratory capacity in Thailand for International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005).

Introduction: Thailand conducted a national laboratory assessment of core capacities related to the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), and thereby established a baseline to measure future progress. The assessment was limited to public laboratories found within the Thai Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, National Institute of Health and regional medical science centres.

Methods: The World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory assessment tool was adapted to Thailand through a participatory approach.

External quality assessment of national public health laboratories in Africa, 2002-2009.

Objective: To describe findings from an external quality assessment programme involving laboratories in Africa that routinely investigate epidemic-prone diseases.

Methods: Beginning in 2002, the Regional Office for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO) invited national public health laboratories and related facilities in Africa to participate in the programme. Three surveys comprising specimens and questionnaires associated with bacterial enteric diseases, bacterial meningitis, plague, tuberculosis and malaria were sent annually to test participants' diagnostic proficiency.