Bulletin of the World Health Organization

External quality assessment of national public health laboratories in Africa, 2002–2009

John Frean, Olga Perovic, Vivian Fensham, Kerrigan McCarthy, Anne von Gottberg, Linda de Gouveia, Bhavani Poonsamy, Leigh Dini, Jenny Rossouw, Karen Keddy, Wondimagegnehu Alemu, Ali Yahaya, Antoine Pierson, Virginie Dolmazon, Sébastien Cognat & Jean Bosco Ndihokubwayo

Volume 90, Number 3, March 2012, 191-199A

Table 1. Laboratory types and disease components evaluated among African WHO Member States in the WHO/National Institute for Communicable Diseases Microbiology External Quality Assessment Programme, 2002–2009

Member Statea Laboratory type, no.
 Disease componentb
 Year(s) enrolled
NPHL only PBM only NPHL and PBM Total E Mn P T Ml
Algeria 1 1 + + + + 2003
Angola 1 1 + + + + + 2002
Benin 1 1 2 + + + + 2003
Botswana 1 1 + + + + + 2002
Burkina Faso 2 1 1 4 + + + + 2002, 2004, 2005
Burundi 1 1 + + + + 2002
Cameroon 2 1 3 + + + + 2002, 2005, 2007
Cape Verde 1 1 + + + + 2002
Central African Republic 1 1 + + + + 2002
Chad 1 1 + + + + 2002
Comoros 1 1 + + + + 2002
Congo 1 1 + + + + 2002
Côte d'Ivoire 1 1 + + + + 2002
Democratic Republic of Congo 2 2 + + + + + 2002, 2005
Djiboutic 2 2 + + + + 2005
Equatorial Guinea 1 1 + + + 2002
Eritrea 1 1 + + + + 2002
Ethiopia 1 1 2 + + + + 2002
Gabon 1 1 + + + 2003
Gambia 1 1 + + + + 2003
Ghana 1 2 3 + + + + 2002
Guinea 2 1 3 + + + 2003, 2009
Guinea-Bissau 1 1 + + + + 2003
Kenya 1 1 2 + + + + + 2002
Lesotho 1 1 + + + + + 2003
Liberia 1 1 + + + 2009
Madagascar 1 1 + + + + 2003
Malawi 2 1 3 + + + + + 2002, 2004
Mali 1 1 + + + + 2002
Mauritania 2 2 + + + + 2003, 2004
Mauritius 1 1 + + + + 2007
Mozambique 2 1 3 + + + + + 2002, 2009
Namibia 2 2 + + + + + 2002
Niger 1 1 2 + + + + 2002, 2005
Nigeria 1 1 + + + + 2002
Rwanda 2 1 3 + + + + 2002, 2003
Sao Tome and Principe 1 1 + + + + 2002
Senegal 2 1 3 + + + + 2002, 2003, 2004
Seychelles 1 1 + + + + 2003
Sierra Leone 1 1 + + + + 2003
Somaliac 1 1 + + + + 2005
Sudanc 1 1 + + + + 2005
Swaziland 1 1 + + + + + 2003
Togo 1 1 + + + 2002
Uganda 1 2 3 + + + + + 2002, 2003
United Republic of Tanzania 2 2 + + + + + 2002, 2004
Zambia 1 1 2 + + + + + 2002
Zimbabwe 1 1 2 + + + + + 2002, 2009
Total 45 8 25 78 –

E, bacterial enteric diseases; Ml, malaria; Mn, bacterial meningitis; NPHL, national public health laboratory; P, plague; PBM, paediatric bacterial meningitis laboratory; T, tuberculosis; WHO, World Health Organization.

a Part of the WHO African Region unless otherwise indicated.

b The crosses denote components eligible for survey.

c Part of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.