GLOBAL HEALTH
APHL Closes Productive Decade of Work
in Sierra Leone
by Sherrie Staley, MPH, manager, Global Health; Palmira Mangae, specialist, Global Health;
and Lucy Maryogo-Robinson, MPH, director, Global Health
In January of 2019, APHL officially handed
over its Sierra Leone portfolio to the
country’s Ministry of Health after a
decade of involvement, including four
years helping to develop the nation’s lab
system during the worst Ebola outbreak
in history. With that outbreak ended,
Sierra Leone has emerged a stronger
country committed to continued growth
and development, including that of its
laboratory system.
delivery and outbreak preparedness
from 2015 to the present.
3. Supporting laboratories throughout the
country, specifically CPHRL, Princess
Christian Maternity Hospital, Ola
During Children’s Hospital and Jenner
Wright Laboratories. APHL support to
these sites included:
• Activation of clinical diagnostic
labs for hematology and clinical
chemistry
APHL has always sought to strengthen
the laboratory system in Sierra Leone.
It is with this vision in mind that our
subsidiary opened with a staff of four
in January 2016 to respond to the Ebola
crisis. APHL began work in Sierra Leone
many years before this, however, with a
focus on supporting HIV Ante Natal Clinic
(ANC) surveys. Over the course of the last
four years, our PEPFAR work expanded
as did our Global Health Security Agenda
initiatives.
• Application of the laboratories to
an accredited international EQA
program
• Procurement of laboratory
equipment and consumables
• Development of quality manuals
and written standard operating
procedures such as the national
laboratory rapid response manual,
national testing algorithm, national
policy and health and safety
manual, and the national laboratory
reporting tools
Between 2015 and January 2019, APHL
worked closely with the Sierra Leone
Ministry of Health, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and other key
stakeholders. During our tenure, some of
our key accomplishments include:
• Supported the development of
a national priority plan and the
national laboratory strategic plan
• Sponsored high level and extended
workshops in quality management
systems, laboratory validation
protocols, and equipment
management in the laboratory
4. Supported microbiology activation
at Ola During and Princess Christian
Hospital laboratories. At baseline
(May 2017) the laboratory scored
zero stars on the SLIPTA checklist.
But as of December 2018, the score
on the same checklist was two stars.
Today, the microbiology laboratory
is a referral facility for bacteriology
culture analyses and supports outbreak
responses for epidemic prone diseases
such as cholera and meningitis.
5. Provided onsite and remote continuous
mentorship in microbiology and
tuberculosis testing at CPHRL and TB
Reference Lab.
A robust laboratory system underpins
every strong health system. It has been
APHL’s honor and privilege to contribute
to the health of Sierra Leone’s people by
strengthening its laboratories. n
1. Completing the renovation of the
Central Public Health Laboratory
(CPHRL) to include storage and external
quality assurance (EQA) facilities,
resulting in a more secure and safe
environment for laboratory testing
2. Providing training and mentorship
of 26 university science graduates on
Ebola epidemiology, diagnosis and
related data management, health and
safety. These graduates, known as the
Public Health Laboratory Response
Team (or RRTs) received additional
training on epidemic-prone diseases
(HIV early infant diagnosis (EID) &
viral load, measles, rubella, rotavirus)
and enteric bacterial diseases. These
high caliber laboratory scientists have
provided sustainable testing, service
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
The APHL team with representatives from the Ministry of Health and CDC Sierra Leone at the Handover Ceremony
APHL.org
Spring 2019 LAB MATTERS
17