> Contact I  Back to LabNet activities & projects I

About the project
 

This project helps Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) better assess the influenza burden, monitor influenza activity and develop potential prevention and control strategies. It also contributes to enhancing the pandemic influenza preparedness activities in the region.

The programme involves obtaining basic epidemiological data and respiratory specimens from both hospital and regional health care centre patients, along with laboratory testing of the samples. Immunofluorescent staining of these clinical samples is performed in the PICTs laboratories for the detection of influenza. Confirmatory testing is performed at the Pasteur Institute of New Caledonia (IPNC) on ethanol-fixed nasal specimens using Real-Time PCR, with additional confirmation and typings performed at WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza (WHO-CC).
 

Article published in Inform'ACTION: Laboratory-based influenza surveillance project: Achievements and opportunities

Map showing influenza testing capabilities and confirmation mechanisms

 Implementation steps

Procedures & Forms

A.   All required equipment, supplies, and materials for the programme are procured for the PICTs, and necessary arrangements made prior to country implementation.

B.   Country implementation is carried out by a team from SPC consisting of an epidemiologist and a laboratory specialist.  Implementation activities include: determination of in-country sentinel sites and presentations of the programme to all country stakeholders (clinicians, lab technical staff, epidemiologists).   The presentations focus on appropriate case definition and patient selection, in-country testing methods and test referral procedures, and management of data and results for surveillance mechanisms. (see 1, 2)

C.   Implementation activities also include: training of the lab technical staff on all aspects of the immunofluorescent staining procedures and microscopy techniques, including appropriate quality assurance mechanisms for the testing. (see 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

D.   After initial performance of the lab testing procedures, a second intensive training, for the technical staff, is scheduled at one of the laboratory training institutions, WHO-CC or ESR. > Read the article in Inform'ACTION 22 This is to re-enforce the laboratory technical procedures and also as an opportunity for the trainees to troubleshoot problems or situations experienced in their initial testing performance.

E.   All in-country stakeholders are also trained on the mechanisms of data collection and reporting of results in a timely manner to the appropriate individuals, so as to complete the surveillance aspects of the programme.

1. Transmission form for influenza testing (pdf, 55 KB)

2. Specimen collection instructions (pdf, 33 KB)

3. Immunofluorescent staining for respiratory virus detection: influenza A, influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus (pdf, 126 KB)

4. Fluorescent microscope operation (pdf, 17 KB)

5.  Microscopy result worksheet 
    (pdf, 20 KB)

6. Influenza fluorescent strain quality control record (pdf, 29 KB) 

7. Standard Operating Procedure: External Quality Assurance Program for the CDC lab-based influenza surveillance (pdf, 38 KB)

8. CDC Flu project EQA report form (pdf, 23 KB)