Uzbekistan: Laboratory and Surveillance activities
Uzbekistan is 1 of 6 Member States in the WHO European Region that will receive support through 2016 under the PIP Partnership Contribution Implementation Plan 2013–2016 in the area of laboratory and surveillance (L&S).
The PIP Framework brings together Member States, industry, other stakeholders and WHO to implement a global approach to pandemic influenza preparedness and response. It aims to:
- improve the sharing of influenza viruses with human pandemic potential; and
- achieve more equitable access for Member States in need of pandemic vaccines and medicines used in a pandemic.
Implementation
The first L&S mission to Uzbekistan funded by the PIP Framework Partnership Contribution was conducted by WHO/Europe in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in August 2014. During this mission, the Republican Center of State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance (RepCSSES), 2 laboratories (the Virology Laboratory at the RepCSSES and the National Influenza Centre at the Research Institute of Virology), as well as current and possible future sentinel sites in Tashkent were visited. The sentinel surveillance system was reviewed at national and site levels, and the laboratories were evaluated using the WHO National Influenza Centre Laboratory Assessment Tool (NIC-LAT).
Several recommendations were defined based on the outcomes of the assessments, including the need to revise a national guideline on influenza sentinel surveillance. WHO/Europe will assist Uzbekistan to execute these recommendations.
