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News ArticlesStrengthening Public Health Systems: Ongoing PCR Training in Gabon, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe

Strengthening Public Health Systems: Ongoing PCR Training in Gabon, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe

Strengthening Public Health Systems: Ongoing PCR Training in Gabon, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe

 Strengthening Public Health Systems: Ongoing PCR Training in Gabon, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe In a joint effort to strengthen diagnostic capacity for priority infectious diseases, ASLM, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health of Gabon, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe, is conducting a hands-on PCR training for national reference laboratory staff from May 12 to May 23, 2025. The training is funded by Resolve to Save Lives Project and delivered with technical assistance from IRESSEF Senegal.

The training responds to a critical need to build sustainable diagnostic capabilities at national level. This innovative training is designed to enhance countries’ ability to detect and respond to priority pathogens, directly supporting the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) Detect 1.1 domain. Participants are being trained in molecular diagnostics, using a blended approach that combines theoretical sessions with intensive hands-on practical exercises, ensuring that knowledge is effectively translated into technical competence.

An innovative aspect of this training is its integration of the Quality Management Systems (QMS) and biosafety practices. This integration demonstrates how QMS and biosafety principles are not just theoretical frameworks but essential, practical components of routine operations in molecular biology laboratories. By embedding these principles directly into the molecular diagnostics curriculum, the program reinforces the importance of accuracy, reliability, and safety in laboratory procedures.

The test protocols used during practical sessions have been tailored to the technical capacities of each country’s reference laboratory, ensuring relevance, sustainability, and immediate applicability.

By building local capacity for high-quality molecular testing, this initiative reinforces national disease surveillance systems, enhances public health preparedness, and aligns with International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities.

This training marks a significant step toward strengthening laboratory systems, improving the early detection of outbreaks, and ultimately saving lives through timely, accurate, and reliable diagnostics.