Helping to improve laboratory services in emergencies, through global partnerships

22 March 2024

Rapid response mobile laboratories (RRMLs) are invaluable in boosting mobile diagnostic capacities in public health emergencies and in clinical and research settings. A successful emergency response relies on close cooperation between national partners, emergency medical teams (EMTs), rapid response teams (RRTs) and RRMLs.

To examine the applicability of the RRML minimum operational standards (MOS), as well as the interoperability and scalability of the small and medium-sized RRMLs, an interregional full-scale simulation exercise (IFX.02) for RRMLs was held in Georgia on 15–17 February 2024. 

This exercise marked the successful completion of the first-ever series of simulation exercises for RRMLs, led by the WHO Health Emergencies Programme at WHO/Europe.

 

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The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) unfolds their type 2 mobile laboratory during IFX.02 in Georgia.

Participants from 8 RRMLs, including representatives from over 35 countries, took part in the simulation exercise series throughout 2023–2024.

The programme benefitted from the expertise of RRML professionals deployed during the Ebola outbreak, COVID-19 pandemic, viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, natural disasters such as the earthquake in Türkiye and armed conflicts, including the ongoing war in Ukraine.

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IFX.02 in Georgia built on the experience gained from the previous 2 stages of the simulation exercise programme – a full-scale interregional simulation exercise held in Türkiye (19–23 June 2023) and a tabletop exercise in Germany (3–4 May 2023).

The main goal of this simulation exercise is to test the RRML MOS, interoperability of RRMLs and other partners during emergencies, and adaptability and scalability of the RRMLs.

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A trained team of validators and observers documented the RRMLs’ work during the exercise...

...and their feedback will be used to revise and improve the MOS developed by the RRML community of practice under the leadership of WHO and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) partners.

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IFX.01 in Türkiye focused on cooperation between RRMLs and EMTs; 4 international EMTs participated in the exercise in Istanbul.

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Volunteers of the Georgian Red Cross Society contributed to the testing of interoperability between RRMLs and RRTs during IFX.02 in Georgia.

Two interregional RRML meetings organized within the simulation exercises in Türkiye and Georgia paved the road for the formalization of the RRML Network, supporting the scaling up of the Network to become an initiative and developing a strategy for further development up to 2030.

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