Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Details for Mechanism ID: 4285
Country/Region: Kenya
Year: 2007
Main Partner: American Society for Microbiology
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: Private Contractor
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $500,000

Funding for Laboratory Infrastructure (HLAB): $500,000

1. LIST OF RELATED ACTIVITIES This activity relates to activities in Counseling and Testing (#6941) and TB/HIV (#6944).

2. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will work with the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) to establish central reference microbiological laboratory capacity. To date, support for laboratory capacity related to HIV prevention and treatment programs has been heavily focused on tests for HIV diagnosis or monitoring of treatment with antiretroviral drugs. Microbiologic diagnostic capacity is extremely limited in Kenya; while many clinical labs can support microscopic diagnosis of tuberculosis, culture for tuberculosis and diagnostic tests for other opportunistic infections are generally unavailable. The NPHL strategic plan outlines needs to urgently support establishment of a network of laboratory referral services, including microbiology services, throughout the country. ASM will train senior NPHLS staff from eight provinces to conduct microbiology testing. Training will be done in high functioning laboratories in the USA, elsewhere in Africa and within the central laboratories in Kenya. Essential microbiological technologies will be selected for different levels of the National laboratories and appropriate equipment and reagents for such tests procured in accordance with the National Laboratory policy guidelines. ASM will assist with development of approaches to supportive supervision, specimen transport, quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation related to microbiologic testing.

3. CONTRIBUTIONS TO OVERALL PROGRAM AREA Development of capacity to conduct appropriate microbiologic testing will dramatically improve the quality of care provided for people with HIV in Kenya.

4. LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES This activity relates to all facility based palliative care activities, TB/HIV activities and HIV treatment activities. In addition, the activity is intimately linked with HLAB (#7003), HLAB (#7113) and HLAB (#6940) activities.

5 POPULATIONS BEING TARGETED This activity targets laboratory workers.

6. EMPHASIS AREAS This activity includes major emphasis in the area of training of Microbiology Technologists and Scientists and minor emphasis in the areas of laboratory infrastructure development, procurement of specialized microbiology equipment and reagents, and development of protocols for quality assurance schemes and strengthening of networks/linkages and referral systems for external quality assurance schemes for microbiological tests as detailed in Section 3 above.