The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) has been certified to perform yellow fever regional reference lab functions in the Arbovirology department that supports yellow fever diagnostic surveillance.
Image/Robert Herriman
This makes UVRI the only certified Yellow fever reference laboratory in Eastern Africa and the second in the African Region, the other being Institut Pasteur Dakar (IPD) in Senegal.
With this approval, UVRI will implement WHO Regional Reference Laboratory (RRL) functions including; providing yellow fever confirmatory testing for suspected outbreaks; and providing quality control support for national laboratories of Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
UVRI will also support surveillance activities, train, build capacity and avail qualified staff to carry out timely tests and manage the RRL. Additionally, upon request from WHO, UVRI will make and administer proficiency testing panels for chosen national laboratories in other countries.
The certification followed an assessment done in May 2017, by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC USA).
