Protecting Americans by strengthening national public health laboratory systems globally to reliably detect, confirm, and report infectious disease threats - The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) proposes a five-year project to strengthen laboratory systems in partner countries so they can detect, confirm, report, and respond to infectious disease threats quickly and safely. The purpose of the project is to help protect the US and partner countries from global health threats by improving the ability of laboratory networks to identify outbreaks early, support timely public health decisions, and contain threats closer to their source. The project will support country-owned laboratory system strengthening across multiple regions, with an initial focus on Kenya, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Paraguay, and support for other countries or regions based on federal priorities, country needs, and available funding. APHL will tailor activities to each country’s current laboratory capacity and will focus on practical improvements that national and regional institutions can sustain over time. As a founding partner of the initiative, APHL will also work to further advance and implement the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP). APHL will work through ministries of health, public health laboratories, technical working groups, and public health partners to align activities with national priorities and global health security goals. APHL brings extensive experience strengthening laboratory systems domestically and globally, including quality management, biorisk management, genomic surveillance, workforce development, tiered laboratory network design, specimen referral, data systems, and emergency testing scale-up. APHL’s approach draws on practical experience working with ministries of health, national public health laboratories, CDC country and regional offices, and implementing partners. This experience will support rapid start-up, strong coordination, responsible stewardship of federal funds, and adaptation of standardized tools to different country contexts and levels of laboratory-system maturity. The project will focus on five areas: strengthening laboratory systems and services; improving laboratory quality management; building a skilled laboratory workforce; reducing biological risks; and reinforcing laboratory preparedness and emergency response. Activities will include assessing and mapping laboratory networks, clarifying laboratory roles across tiers, improving specimen referral and data flows, supporting quality assurance and laboratory standards, expanding diagnostic and sequencing capacity, training laboratory leaders and technical staff, strengthening biosafety and biosecurity practices, and preparing laboratories to maintain essential services during outbreaks. Expected outcomes include stronger and better coordinated laboratory networks; clearer testing, referral, and reporting roles; improved diagnostic, sequencing, and bioinformatics capacity; more reliable laboratory quality systems; safer biosafety and biosecurity practices; a better trained laboratory workforce; stronger laboratory data systems; and faster detection, notification, and response to public health threats. The project will also help countries apply lessons learned from prior outbreaks and develop policies, procedures, training systems, and operational plans they can maintain beyond the award period. The project also includes scalable support for moderate and substantial public health emergencies. During an outbreak or other emergency, activities can expand to rapidly assess affected laboratory networks, strengthen testing and specimen referral, improve visibility into supplies and results, support safe sample handling, and coordinate laboratory information with surveillance and emergency response systems. Together, these activities will improve sustainable country capacity to detect and respond to health threats before they spread widely, supporting global health security and helping protect Americans from infectious disease threats.
