Assessment of Public Health Laboratory Capabilities and Role in Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Disease and Diarrheal Disease in Georgia

摘要

Effective laboratories are an important component of any vaccine preventable disease (VPD) surveillance system. This assessment looks at the roles and capabilities of laboratories as they do surveillance and response for VPDs and other priority infectious diseases in Georgia. The paper discusses how standardized World Health Organization laboratory assessment tools were adapted to the Georgian context; gives an overview of the countrys laboratory system for diagnosis of VPDs; evaluates operations at central, regional, district, and facility laboratories; and sets out recommendations for laboratory strengthening.