Speed saves lives

Every suspected case sets off a chain of events that can determine whether a single infection is contained or grows into an outbreak. Health workers must identify the patient, collect samples safely, test them quickly and relay the results immediately so that isolation, treatment and contact tracing can begin.

At the centre of this chain is one critical question: How fast can health authorities know what they are dealing with?

In Kasese, western Uganda, the answer increasingly lies in a mobile laboratory that brings advanced diagnostic capacity closer to communities, allowing health authorities to act before the virus can spread.

For epidemiologists, rapid laboratory confirmation is far more than a medical procedure. It provides the evidence that drives every public health decision. Without laboratory confirmation, surveillance remains incomplete. With it, response teams know whether they are responding to a false alarm or a confirmed Ebola case requiring immediate action.

Inside the mobile laboratory, technician Benedict Kanamwenji explains how the system operates during outbreaks: "When there is an outbreak, we pack the equipment, move to where we are needed and set up the laboratory close to the response area."

The laboratory is fully self-contained, with its own generator and specialized equipment that allows samples to be tested near affected communities instead of being transported over long distances.

Before testing, samples are carefully inactivated to eliminate any risk to laboratory personnel. They are then analysed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), the gold standard for detecting the Ebola virus. "The PCR takes about two hours," Benedict explains. The laboratory provides health authorities with rapid results that enable quicker isolation of confirmed cases, faster contact tracing and timely treatment.

But laboratory diagnosis is only one part of the response. Every test result feeds into Uganda's surveillance system, where district surveillance teams, health facilities, rapid response teams and epidemiologists work together to investigate alerts, monitor disease patterns and stop transmission before it spreads.

Supported by UNICEF and other partners through the Infection Prevention and Control pillar, Uganda has strengthened the systems that connect surveillance, specimen referral, laboratory diagnosis and emergency response. Investments in health worker capacity, critical supplies and coordination help ensure that suspected cases are identified, tested and managed safely and quickly.

In Kasese District, surveillance continues every day, whether there is a confirmed case or not. The District Surveillance Focal Person, Arafat Bwambale, says constant vigilance is essential. "We are receiving alerts every day. The aim is to make sure that if there is any possible case, we identify it early and respond immediately."

Each alert is investigated, verified and, where necessary, followed by sample collection and laboratory testing. Together, surveillance and laboratory diagnosis form the backbone of Uganda's epidemic preparedness.

To keep the system functioning effectively, Kasese holds weekly coordination meetings bringing together district authorities, surveillance teams, clinicians, laboratory personnel and partners to review progress, address gaps and strengthen readiness.

For Dr Amon Bwambale, the Kasese District Health Officer, maintaining this level of preparedness remains essential while Ebola continues to affect neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. "We are achieving what we are achieving because of support from partners like UNICEF," he says. "But as long as the outbreak continues in the DRC, we cannot put our guns down."

Beyond Ebola outbreaks, the mobile laboratory continues serving Uganda's health system by supporting surveillance for other epidemic-prone diseases and strengthening routine diagnostic capacity. The expertise developed during emergencies remains in place, ensuring that investments made during outbreaks continue protecting communities long afterwards.

With funding from governments of US and Iceland and the Mastercard Foundation, UNICEF and other partners are working with the Government of Uganda to strengthen the public health system where surveillance, rapid laboratory diagnosis and infection prevention work together to detect outbreaks early, contain them quickly and ultimately save lives.