Members and International stakeholders of the Network of Buruli Ulcer PCR Laboratories (BU-LABNET) in the World Health Organisation’s African Region have converged at the University for its fifth annual meeting.
The meeting organised by the WHO and hosted by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), is to help members of the Network to among other things, review the progress in the recommendations of the October 2022 BU-LABNET meeting and present activities carried out towards the integration of other skin NTDs onto the BU PCR platform.
The meeting also provides the platform for the Network to review and adopt its draft harmonised PCR procedures for other skin NTDs, discuss communication and advocacy activities to promote the Network and plan for its activities for 2024.
During the opening ceremony of the meeting, Prof. Alfred Yawson, the Acting Provost of the College of Health Sciences and Dean of the University of Ghana Medical School, warmly welcomed the participants and conveyed the goodwill of the University’s Management.
He expressed his enthusiasm by saying, "It is heartening to see many esteemed experts from different African countries gathering to deliberate on the need to strengthen the laboratory system for early diagnosis and treatment of Buruli Ulcer and other Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases."
Prof. Yawson emphasised the significance of addressing communicable diseases alongside non-communicable diseases in African countries facing a double burden of disease. He pointed out, "The WHO AFRO region is an epidemic-prone zone that requires a strong surveillance system. The laboratory network systems are essential in providing early detection and treatment, data for evidence and action, clinical management and informing policy."
He also highlighted the vital role played by the Noguchi Memorial Institute and other national laboratories in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana and several other African countries.
Prof. Yawson further expressed his conviction that the three-day meeting would not only discuss the activities undertaken since the last meeting in 2022 but also formulate strategies to enhance laboratory systems in the 13 African countries within the network.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, Prof. Francis Kasolo, the WHO Representative to Ghana, noted that strengthening public health laboratories is crucial for disease control in the WHO African Region.
He recognised the progress being made by the WHO while acknowledging the challenges. “Despite progress in bolstering laboratory capacities, challenges remain, especially concerning access to laboratory support, particularly for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) diagnosis, in the control of Buruli Ulcer.”
He revealed that “the WHO's Laboratories and Health Technology area is dedicated to supporting member states in achieving improved health, reduce morbidity, and mortality through the safe, available, and appropriate use of essential health technologies within health systems.”
Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director of the Ghana Health Service, established the pivotal role played by laboratories in both case management and preventive-chemotherapy for NTDs. He stressed the importance of a network that can facilitate the sharing of expertise and collaboration to strengthen individual laboratories' work in diagnosing, surveilling, monitoring, and evaluating NTD programmes in various countries.
The Director-General stressed the need to integrate across NTDs and mainstream them into national health systems. “This integration, coupled with strong country ownership and coordination, is seen as key to building sustainability in NTD work” he intimated.
The Conference, which aimed to enhance the diagnosis of Buruli Ulcer among member laboratories by implementing standardised testing protocols, was hosted by Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, Director of the Institute.
The event attracted 60 participants from 13 laboratories in nine endemic countries, all dedicated to advancing the fight against this debilitating disease.
