Zimbabwe Establishes Native Laboratory for Polio Surveillance

Harare – In a significant step against strengthening its public health infrastructure, Zimbabwe established a dedicated laboratory for the diagnosis of polio samples quiet thru environmental surveillance (ES). Beforehand, these samples had been sent to South Africa for discovering out, ensuing in a turnaround time of roughly 21 days.

With financial and technical make stronger from the World Well being Organization (WHO), the newly renovated laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge work know-how discovering out tools and staffed by highly educated personnel. WHO extra offered coaching to 10 laboratory scientists to straggle the unique laboratory and in the community originate environmental samples discovering out. This local ability will vastly decrease the time required to detect and acknowledge to potential outbreaks of polio. 

Three consultants from the African Polio Laboratory community, proficient in WHO ES discovering out strategies for poliovirus, had been identified by WHO Regional Officer for Africa (AFRO) to extinguish the coaching needs to th College of Zimbabwe (UZ) the assign the laboratory is positioned. The workforce involves Shelina Moonsamy because the Team Lead (Head of Polio Laboratory, NICD, Johannesburg, South Africa), James Peter Eliku (ES Technical Expert, Uganda Virus Analysis Institute, Entebbe, Uganda) and Thabo Mashupye (ES Technical Expert, NICD). 

“The establishment of this laboratory is a major milestone in our efforts to safeguard the health of Zimbabweans,” said Mr Paradzayi Chibukira, Technical Supervisor on the Zimbabwe National Virology Polio Laboratory at UZ.  “By reducing the turnaround time for laboratory results, we can more effectively implement prevention and control measures to prevent the reintroduction of polio into our country.”

Environmental surveillance for polio is a significant a part of world efforts to visual display unit and eradicate the polio. It entails accumulating and examining sewage and diverse environmental samples to detect the presence of the poliovirus, which is able to point out circulation of the virus in the neighborhood. This device complements worn surveillance thru the Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance machine and presents a broader see of potential outbreaks.

Polio is a highly contagious viral illness that can maybe well position off paralysis, particularly in children. While Zimbabwe has been polio-free for a long time, the likelihood of reintroduction stays, particularly because of the ongoing global efforts to eradicate the illness.

With make stronger from WHO, Zimbabwe launched its environmental surveillance programme in 2023, foundation with sites in Harare and Chitungwiza. This initiative used to be segment of a broader device to reinforce illness monitoring and fortify response capabilities. The introduction of environmental surveillance in these preliminary sites marked a key step in the nation’s commitment to bettering its public health infrastructure. Additional sites had been established in diverse predominant cities, at the side of Bulawayo, Gweru, and Victoria Falls in 2024. This expansion reflects Zimbabwe’s proactive device to illness monitoring and its technique to safeguard public health.

“We applaud and fully support Zimbabwe’s decision to set up the laboratory for polio surveillance and this development not only enhances the country’s capacity for timely and accurate detection of poliovirus in the environment but also strengthens the overall public health infrastructure,” said Mr Kenneth Chindedza, WHO Zimbabwe Technical Officer for Logistics and Supply Chain.