NEW RESOURCE
GLOBAL HEALTH
Mapping a Path to Laboratory Surveillance in Bangladesh
By Dr. Mohammad Kamrul Islam, MBBS, MPH, program coordinator, Bangladesh; Natalie Martinez, specialist, Global Health; and Sarah Young, MPH, senior specialist, Global Health
In 2024, APHL began working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( CDC) and the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to implement a laboratory mapping initiative in Bangladesh. This project focused on designing, developing and implementing a mapping tool to obtain data on the Bangladesh national public health laboratory system. The resulting analysis, summarized in the Bangladesh Health Facility Laboratory Capacity Mapping Report, offers strategic recommendations for the Directorate General of Health Services( DGHS) to utilize in their national strategic plan. The data gathered from 26 laboratory sites across four administrative tiers— National, Division, District and Upazila— revealed that overall network maturity is moderate, defined by significant technical expertise constrained by systemic fragmentation.
Tiered System of Contrasts
The mapping identified a“ dual system” operational model: structured programmatic workflows( e. g., tuberculosis, polio / measles surveillance) operate efficiently, while routine clinical diagnostics often rely on informal manual processes. National laboratories( e. g. Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research( IEDCR), National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory( NTRL), and Institute of Public Health( IPH)) demonstrate good analytical and procedural standardization. Standardization of testing methods and platforms is high, confirmed by 86 % of laboratories across the national list of priority diseases. However, systemic integration is lacking. Sample tracking systems are often informal or limited to specific vertical programs, and the lack of a unified laboratory information system( LIS) increases reliance on manual data transcription. Sub-national tiers( Division, District, Upazila) mapped showed systemic weaknesses in core management areas, such as:
• Quality Management( QM) and the Validation Gap. The mapping found an absence of dedicated full-time QM personnel at any sub-national site. This lack of needed QM personnel forces clinical results of validation onto medical technologists, creating a
continued on page 35
NEW RESOURCE
A Collaborative Tool to Turn Wastewater Data Into Action:
Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard
A new resource from APHL, the Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard uses data from the 2025 Wastewater Surveillance Survey to provide a metric laboratories can use to gauge progress as they continue to grow and hone their methods. This dashboard can also be used by National Wastewater Surveillance System( NWSS) and APHL’ s NWSS Laboratory Community of Practice to understand the overall wastewater surveillance landscape and to identify successes, challenges and resource needs.
Learn more and explore the dashboard: www. aphl. org / WWS
PublicHealthLabs @ APHL. org
APHL. org
Spring 2026 LAB MATTERS 23