Barbara Wilmot Johnson
Scientific Laboratory Consulting, Laporte, Colorado, United States of America
Maurice Demanou
2World Health Organization African Region Yellow Fever Laboratory, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Gamou Fall
Institut Pasteur Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
Jean-Luc Betoulle
Scientific Laboratory, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Celestina Obiekea
National Reference Laboratory, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja, Nigeria
Alison Jane Basile
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Cristina Domingo
Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
Christin Goodman
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Eric Mossel
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Chantal Reusken
Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Erin Staples
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Joana Filipa Machado de Morais
Instituto Nacional de Investigacao em Saude, Luanda, Angola
Zoraima Neto
Instituto Nacional de Investigacao em Saude, Luanda, Angola
Paula Paixão
Instituto Nacional de Investigacao em Saude, Luanda, Angola
Yves Eric Denon
National Public Health Laboratory, Cotonou, Benin
Mariette Glitho
National Public Health Laboratory, Cotonou, Benin
José Mahinou
National Public Health Laboratory, Cotonou, Benin
Therese Kagone
Centre Muraz, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Emmanuel Nakoune
Institute Pasteur, Bangui, Central African Republic
Kadidja Gamougam
Hôpital General De Reference Nationale, N'Djamena, Chad
Elisabeth Pukuta Simbu
National Institute for Biomedical Research, Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of Congo
Steve Ahuka
National Institute for Biomedical Research, Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of Congo
Jean-Vivien Mombouli
Institut National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Cynthia Goma-Nkoua
Institut National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Edgard Valery Adjogoua
Institut Pasteur de Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Adamu Tayachew
Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Virology and Rickettsiology Unit, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Berhane Beyene
World Health Organization Laboratory, Ethiopia
Bakary Sanneh
National Health Laboratory Services, Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia
Modou Lamin Jarju
National Health Laboratory Services, Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia
Alphonse Mendy
National Health Laboratory Services, Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia
Dodzi Kofi Amelor
National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana
Lawrence Ofosu-Appiah
National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana
David Opare
National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana
Lorreta Antwi
National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana
Rexford Adade
National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana
N'Faly Magassouba
Laboratoire de Reference des Fièvres Hémorragiques, Conakry, Guinée
Sabado Fernandes Gomes
Laboratoire National de Sante Publique, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Samson Limbaso
Center for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
Joel Lutomiah
Center for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
Burgess Gbelee Jr
National Public Health Reference Laboratory, National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Charlesville, Liberia
John Dogba
National Public Health Reference Laboratory, National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Charlesville, Liberia
Issa Cisse
Institut National de Santé Publique Laboratoire de Fièvre Jaune, Bamako, Mali
Zakou Idde
Niamey National Hospital, Niamey, Niger
Chikwe Ihekweazu
National Reference Laboratory, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja, Nigeria
Nwando Mba
National Reference Laboratory, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja, Nigeria
Ousmane Faye
Institut Pasteur Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
Oumar Faye
Institut Pasteur Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
Amadou Alpha Sall
Institut Pasteur Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
Zikan Koroma
National Public Health Laboratory, Lakka, Sierra Leone
Manuela Alphonse Juma
National Public Health Laboratory, Juba, South Sudan
James Ayei Maror
National Public Health Laboratory, Juba, South Sudan
Mawahib Eldigail
Public Health Laboratory, Khartoum, Sudan
Adel Hussein Elduma
Public Health Laboratory, Khartoum, Sudan
Rehab Elageb
Public Health Laboratory, Khartoum, Sudan
Kossi Badziklou
Laboratoire de Sérologie, Institut National d'Hygiène, Lomé, Togo
Koba Adjaho Komla
Laboratoire de Sérologie, Institut National d'Hygiène, Lomé, Togo
John Kayiwa
Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
Julius Julian Lutwama
Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
Lee Hampton
Gavi Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland
Mick Norman Mulders
Department of Immunizations, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Abstract
Introduction: accurate and timely laboratory diagnosis of yellow fever (YF) is critical to the Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance recognized the need to support and build capacity in the national and regional laboratories in the Global YF Laboratory Network (GYFLN) as part of this strategy. Methods: to better understand current capacity, gaps and needs of the GYFLN laboratories in Africa, assessments were carried out in national and regional reference laboratories in the 25 African countries at high risk for YF outbreaks that were eligible for new financial support from Gavi. Results: the assessments found that the GYFLN in Africa has high capacity but 21% of specimens were not tested due to lack of testing kits or reagents and approximately 50% of presumptive YF cases were not confirmed at the regional reference laboratory due to problems with shipping. Conclusion: the laboratory assessments helped to document the baseline capacities of these laboratories prior to Gavi funding to support strengthening YF laboratories.
