Recently, Liberia and the United States celebrated the completed Infectious Disease Detention and Surveillance (IDDS) project in the country.
It focused on upgrading laboratory systems in three counties, namely Lofa, Bong, and Nimba, beginning in 2019.
It strengthened these counties’ abilities to detect diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by enhancing the country’s detection networks and AMR surveillance systems.
For years now, there has been collaboration between Health Ministry and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has strengthened quality-assured laboratory results and improved timely AMR surveillance data.
County laboratories now have trained personnel, advanced equipment, and modern methodologies, improving clinical outcomes, informing health policy, and enhancing individual health in Liberia, as well as global health security.
some of the infectious diseases are Chickenpox (Varicella), Coronaviruses, Dengue, Diphtheria, Ebola, Hepatitis, Hib Disease, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, among others. These diseases are somehow prevalent in many countries globally, of which Liberia is not exempted.
That is why we are hailing the continued partnership and commitment between MoH and USAID, intended to improve the health of Liberians, as well as those residing within our borders by building the ability to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease.
We believe that with these modern equipment and technologies now available in our hospitals in the above-mentioned counties, coupled with trained manpower to manage and operate those materials, we can safely state that the country’s health system’s ability to detect infectious diseases is getting better.
Indeed, for this reason, we say health is wealth.
