Assessment of tuberculosis laboratory network in Bulgaria
Dr Daniela Cirillo, Head of Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute visited Bulgaria 23-26 November to assess the tuberculosis laboratory network in Bulgaria. She met representatives of the “Management of Specialized Donor-funded Programmes” directorate at the Ministry of Health and Programme Management Unit of the Programmes funded by the GFATM.
Dr Cirillo reviewed the existing policies and guidelines for TB diagnosis at the national level, analyzed the structure of the existing TB laboratory network, and discussed the structure of a questionnaire to assess infection control measures in TB laboratories, performing cultures and drug susceptibility testing (DST).
While in Sofia, Dr Cirillo visited the National Reference TB Laboratory (NRL-TB) at the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and met the laboratory team. She also assessed the quality assurance system for TB microscopy provided by the NRL-TB and discussed the establishment of an external quality assurance scheme for cultures and DST for the first-line anti-TB drugs.
Dr Cirillo reviewed the existing policies and guidelines for TB diagnosis at the national level, analyzed the structure of the existing TB laboratory network, and discussed the structure of a questionnaire to assess infection control measures in TB laboratories, performing cultures and drug susceptibility testing (DST).
While in Sofia, Dr Cirillo visited the National Reference TB Laboratory (NRL-TB) at the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and met the laboratory team. She also assessed the quality assurance system for TB microscopy provided by the NRL-TB and discussed the establishment of an external quality assurance scheme for cultures and DST for the first-line anti-TB drugs.
