TANZANIA – The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) of Tanzania has achieved full accreditation for measles and rubella testing, marking a major milestone in global health efforts.
This accreditation allows the lab to independently conduct and report tests, becoming a pivotal member of the WHO laboratory network.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanzania’s NPHL achieved ISO 15189:2012 accreditation from SADCAS in 2014 with certificate number MED 001.
The laboratory offers a wide range of clinical laboratory testing to include Microbiology, Parasitology, Clinical chemistry, Haematology, Serology, cell culture for viruses and molecular diagnostics.
Its core purpose is to provide information for the diagnosis, prevention, prognosis, research, surveillance and treatment of diseases.
Mr. Ambele Mwafulango, the NPHL Laboratory Manager noted, “Indeed we are beyond happy for this remarkable achievement. Achieving this goal required a robust surveillance system capable of detecting both endemic and import-related cases, supported by high-quality laboratory testing.”
“Through WHO and partners, we are indeed proud for this advancement for public health agenda across the Tanzania and the continent”.
The lab’s capacity has been supported by implementing measles and rubella ELISA serological testing and referring samples for genotyping to the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
By 2021, a collaborative training program involving WHO, CDC, UVRI, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), and the Victorian Institute for Infectious Diseases improved lab performance, including serology testing and data management through a comprehensive training and mentorship program.
This initiative successfully trained 10 laboratory scientists in serology testing and data management, leading to notable improvements in laboratory performance and successful completion of WHO External Quality Assessments (EQA).
Between 2022 and 2024, the NPHL aligned with the WHO Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network to advance molecular characterization.
Additionally, the NPHL had successfully implemented these techniques, genotyping, and sequencing for over 60 measles samples and contributing to the WHO Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network MeaNS2.
Apart from this significant milestone, the Tanzania’s NPHL also received the prestigious Measles & Rubella Partnership Champion Global Award at the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C earlier this year.
This accolade recognized the laboratory’s exceptional leadership in advancing measles epidemiology through comprehensive molecular detection, significantly improving surveillance and elimination efforts.