Assessment of public health laboratory preparedness and response in WHO South-East Asia region during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and future directions.

ABSTRACT: This Health Policy reviews the preparedness and response of public health laboratories in the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a scoping review and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, the study identifies successes, challenges, and lessons learned from available literature and the perspective of senior laboratory leaders. Key themes include human resources, health information systems, diagnostic capacity, public risk communication, biosafety, biosecurity, funding, and laboratory network coordination. The findings provide a comprehensive overview of the adaptive capacities of laboratories, the contextual factors influencing their response, and the implications for future pandemic preparedness. This study demonstrates the resilience and adaptabil

SUBMITTER: Inbanathan FY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11532963 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature