1. WHO Africa

Liberia: New Ebola mobile lab speeds up diagnosis and improves care

“The first thing we do with a blood sample is inactivate the Ebola virus, making the virus non-infectious and safer for testing”, says US Navy Lieutenant Jose Garcia. As the blood sample might be contagious, this process happens in a very protective environment by using a portable biological safety hood to avoid any direct contact. WHO/P. Desloovere

Liberia: New Ebola mobile lab speeds up diagnosis and improves care

October 2014 - One of the challenges to bring the Ebola outbreak under control in Liberia has been lack of access locally to laboratories able to provide a quick and firm diagnosis of the disease. This month the United States Navy opened a new high-tech mobile laboratory near the Island Clinic, one of the Ebola treatment units in Monrovia, Liberia, that is supported by the WHO.

Until the new lab was up and running, health workers had to wait 2 to 5 days to have a preliminary Ebola diagnosis confirmed by sending blood samples to another lab facility in Monrovia. In the new lab, it takes just 3 to 5 hours to get results .read the full story

 

“The first thing we do with a blood sample is inactivate the Ebola virus, making the virus non-infectious and safer for testing”, says US Navy Lieutenant Jose Garcia. As the blood sample might be contagious, this process happens in a very protective environment by using a portable biological safety hood to avoid any direct contact. WHO/P. Desloovere
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