EAC, 2017-2028:

The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation comprising eight countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Since 2017, the BNITM’s One Health Disease Control Group advised the EAC Health Department and the eight Partner States on all aspects of developing a phased regional network of mobile laboratories to strengthen preparedness and response to high-consequence pathogens.

Phase I – Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers: During the first phase starting in 2017, this BMZ/KfW-funded programme established 10 modular, box-based mobile laboratories for risk group 3/4 pathogens, embedded within national public health laboratories (NPHLs) and ministries of health. These laboratories provide rapid diagnostic capacity for viral haemorrhagic fevers and other high-consequence pathogens.

Phase II – Antimicrobial Resistance:The second phase established six truck-mounted, container-based BSL-3 laboratories at national public health laboratories and Ministries of Health, creating decentralised microbiological culturing capacity for (automated) antimicrobial resistance (AMR) testing and surveillance.

Phase III – One Health: By 2028, a further eight modular, box-based mobile laboratories will be established at national veterinary agencies. This phase extends the regional network beyond human health to strengthen veterinary diagnostic capacity and fulfil the EAC’s regional One Health mandate.

Across the three phases, the network established 24 mobile laboratories across the eight Partner States,  being one of the largest, regional networks globally. Through an intensive “Trainers-of-Trainers” concept that BNITM implemented, the network is supported by more than 120 trained regional experts and over 100 support staff, alongside a newly established Illumina-based decentralised genomic sequencing platform, and regional quality assurance systems. The laboratories provide a sustainable regional platform for outbreak preparedness, surveillance and One Health response in East Africa.

EAC laboratories have supported more than 50 surveillance, preparedness and outbreak activities involving pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Marburg, mpox, dengue, Rift Valley fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever and yellow fever, and have participated in international WHO simulation exercises in Turkey, Georgia and East Africa.

Funder:  Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)/German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
 

Timeline of partnership:

2025-2028:  “EAC mobile Laboratory network phase III for One Health” 
2022-2023: “Ebola/Covid-19 Emergency funds for Mobile Laboratory network”
2020-2024: “EAC Regional Mobile Laboratory network phase II for Anti-microbial resistance (AMR)
2020:  “Covid-19 Emergency funds for EAC Mobile Laboratory Network"
2018-2020: “EAC Regional mobile laboratory network phase I for viral haemorrhagic fevers”