CAMEROON— The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has handed over ultra-modern genomic sequencing equipment to the Minister of Health, Cameroon.
The handover ceremony occurred at the National Public Health Laboratory in Yaoundé, Cameroon
The Africa CDC official handed over the sequencing equipment to H.E Dr Manaouda Malachie, Minister of Health of the Republic of Cameroon.
The equipment includes sequencing machines (Miseq and MinION Mk1C), an analytical and storage server, and an automated electrophoresis TapeStation system, among other ancillary equipment.
This equipment will enable the Republic of Cameroon as part of joint efforts to strengthen pathogen genomic surveillance.
The Africa CDC contends that it looks forward to working with Cameroon and other Member States to leverage genomic technologies for a healthier and safer continent.
The ceremony was also attended by Dr. Benjamin Djoudalbaye, Representative of Africa CDC, and dignitaries from the Ministry of Health.
The handover ceremony precedes a one-week technical training on genomic sequencing and bioinformatics for the National Public Health Laboratory personnel.
The sequencing equipment is part of the Africa CDC’s Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) to establish a network of regional reference laboratories for genomic sequencing and bioinformatics in Africa.
The implementation of the initiative will only be effective when informed by accurate genomic epidemiological data generated in a timely manner.
Therefore, if sequencing facilities are not decentralized, laboratories are forced to ship samples elsewhere, preventing real-time contribution of sequences to monitor the evolution of the virus locally and to understand its global spread.
The initiative aims to improve the detection and characterization of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, AMR, Malaria, Cholera, Ebola, Marburg, and other priority, pathogens and to support the research and development for diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
The Africa CDC expressed gratitude to H.E Dr. Manaouda Malachie and the Ministry of Health of Cameroon for their collaboration and commitment to advancing public health in Africa.
The Africa CDC looks forward to working with Cameroon and other Member States to leverage genomic technologies for a healthier and safer continent.
Africa needs to build capacity in genomic sequencing now!
The Lancet Global Health reckons that the scarcity of sequencing infrastructure and basic skills for analysing genomic data to inform public health decisions hindered the management of the COVID-19 outbreak in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa.
Consequently, most countries in Africa close their land borders and airspace to prevent the spread of infection during a pandemic.
The Medical Research Council Unit, the Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) received a grant through the UK Research and Innovation and The West Africa Network for Tuberculosis, Aids and Malaria to build genomics sequencing compacity across West African partners.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is still working with countries to scale up pathogen surveillance through genome sequencing to detect and respond effectively to COVID-19 variants and other viral infection.
In 2020, WHO and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention established a COVID-19 sequencing laboratory network in Africa which has to date produced over 43 000 sequencing data.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa in collaboration with the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) set up the Regional Centre of Excellence for Genomic Surveillance and Bioinformatics in Cape Town, South Africa.
WHO provided technical support as well as over US$ 4.5 million for operations in the Southern African Development Community region in the first six months.
The centre will initially support 14 southern countries, increasing their sequencing capacity by five-fold monthly before expanding to serve more countries.
WHO notes that genome sequencing has the potential to revolutionize public health and transform responses to other major health threats beyond COVID-19.
Moreover, in the past 20 years, it has been used to support public health responses in Africa to HIV, polio, measles, hepatitis B and C, chikungunya, dengue, zika and yellow fever and yet it has the potential to do much more.
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