Funded by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, VillageReach (www.VillageReach.org) announces the start of a program aiming at improving laboratory sample referral and transportation networks for infectious illnesses prone to epidemic spread throughout Africa. Starting in January 2025, this project will help Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda to develop their health systems.
By enhancing sample transportation networks, guaranteeing speedier diagnosis, prompt reactions, and life-saving actions in remote areas, the initiative removes important obstacles to the diagnosis of infectious illnesses such polio, measles, yellow fever, Ebola,mpox and cholera.
VillageReach CEO and President Emily Bancroft stressed the importance of this effort:
“We are reminded of the pressing requirement of strong primary health care systems able to react quickly to epidemics as we start this important task. This Takeda initiative enables us to collaborate with governments to create infrastructure that not only saves lives but also improves pandemic readiness all throughout the area.”
Strongening epidemic preparation and response is the main emphasis of the initiative, Integrated Laboratory Transport Systems to Stop Outbreaks. It seeks to improve the efficiency and integration of laboratory sample transportation systems for epidemic-prone illnesses while guaranteeing the quality and integrity of samples during transit, therefore allowing correct and prompt diagnosis.
The initiative targets spikes in demand for laboratory samples, promotes community involvement, and offers focused training for transporters and health professionals to support epidemic reactions even further. These actions will assist to rapidly and consistently control epidemics, therefore lessening their effects on sensitive groups.
The program’s aim is for every nation involved to digitize and include electronic reporting systems thereby enhancing data availability on sample movements and laboratory findings. The project will also build patient feedback systems and enhance notification systems, thereby promoting more flexible and strong healthcare systems.
Project Execution in the Five Nation States
- VillageReach will upgrade transport networks and routes to national and regional laboratories for patient samples originating in 11 provinces, train 3,500 community leaders on crisis communication during outbreaks, and train health workers and local private transporters in biosafety and biosecurity, sample collecting, transport and reporting in the DRC.
- VillageReach will extend on-demand transportation beyond polio and measles samples in Malawi to additional epidemic-prone illnesses in all 800+ health institutions and educate 400 community health workers to improve outbreak identification and response.
- Using motorcycles, boats, minibuses, and aircraft, our in-country implementing partner FHI 360 will manage sample transportation for all infectious diseases through a countrywide network of private local transporters in Guinea; the sample movements are recorded in a web and app-based data management system, locally developed.
- Along with efforts to involve traditional healers, powerful individuals, and local leaders to raise awareness and improve the transportation of samples during disease outbreaks, health care workers and local governments in areas impacted by recurrent cholera and measles will get focused training in Tanzania. Our partner company CIHEB-Tanzania will help us with this effort. VillageReach will also assist national health call centre staff in training to advise the public on illnesses prone to epidemic.
- VillageReach will team with Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Uganda. Under the integrated National Lab Sample Transport System, the project seeks to increase the frequency of infectious disease sample collections and equip community health teams in 45 outbreak-prone regions with biosafety and early epidemic detection.
Four nations will also be employing real-time GPS and remote temperature monitoring (RTM) trackers throughout the sample transportation to guarantee their quality and integrity and their prompt arrival to the labs.
Under ongoing cooperation with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, this program expands on VillageReach’s Polio Lab Sample Transport Program in 15 African nations, which began in 2022. It is a component of Takeda’s Global CSR Program, which over four years donated around $8 million to these five nations. Through improved illness identification and monitoring systems, VillageReach’s work is estimated to affect millions indirectly and 116,000 directly.
Published on behalf of VillageReach by APO Group.
For more information, please contact:
Kat Tillman
Director, Communications
media@villagereach.org
What is VillageReach?
VillageReach (www.VillageReach.org) converts delivery of health care to reach everyone. Our vision of a society in which every individual obtains the health care required to flourish drives us. Working with governments, the business sector, partners, and communities, we create responsive primary health care systems delivering health goods, knowledge and services to the most under-served areas.
About Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI):
Engaging in health research related to human infections and disease processes connected to or associated with viral aetiology, the UVRI (www.UVRI.go.ug) offers professional advice, facilitates collaborations and communication, acts as a centre for training and education.
About FHI 360:
Globally, FHI 360 (www.FHI360.org) mobilizes research, resources, and connections so that everyone everywhere has access to the chances they need to enjoy full and healthy lives. Working directly with local leaders in more than 60 countries, we promote social and economic fairness, enhance health and well-being, react to humanitarian disasters and build community resilience. We provide scalable tools and data-driven insights that increase access and fairness so communities may successfully handle difficult problems, react to shocks and realize bright futures. See www. FHI360.org to discover more.
About CIHEB Tanzania:
Established out of the University of Maryland Baltimore’s (UMB) Tanzania initiatives, Ciheb Tanzania (www.CIHEBTanzania.org) is a local-registered and directed not-for-profit corporation.
