The East African Community mobile laboratory network prepares for monkeypox outbreaks

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Tropical Medicine

Background:

• The largest recorded monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak outside endemic regions prompted urgent public health action.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo reported increasing MPXV cases, posing a spill-over risk to neighboring East African Community (EAC) Partner States.
• Existing infrastructure, such as the EAC Mobile Laboratories project, was leveraged for rapid response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To coordinate and deliver an emergency diagnostic training program for monkeypox virus in the East African Region.
• To enhance the capacity of National Public Health Laboratories across the EAC to detect and manage MPXV.
• To strengthen regional preparedness for emerging infectious disease threats.

Main Methods:

• An emergency training workshop was conducted for laboratory experts from six EAC Partner States (Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan).
• Training covered critical aspects of diagnostic workflow: suspect sample reception, DNA extraction, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis.
• The training was coordinated by the EAC in collaboration with the Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Main Results:

• Laboratory experts from the National Public Health Laboratories of the six EAC Partner States received specialized training in MPXV diagnostics.
• The EAC region's laboratory infrastructure and personnel capabilities for MPXV detection have been significantly enhanced.
• The trained personnel are now equipped to perform essential diagnostic procedures for monkeypox virus.

Conclusions:

• The East African Region is now better prepared to rapidly detect and respond to potential monkeypox virus outbreaks.
• The successful training strengthens the collective capacity of the EAC to manage emerging infectious disease threats.
• This initiative underscores the importance of regional cooperation and capacity building in global health security.