Cooperative Agreement NU2GGH002485

TRANSITIONING AND INTEGRATING LABORATORY SERVICES FOR HIGH QUALITY HIV DIAGNOSIS, CARE, TREATMENT, AND MONITORING TO THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH) TO SUSTAIN ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 95-95-95 GOALS IN ZAMBIA - THE CENTRE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH IN ZAMBIA (CIDRZ), TOGETHER WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES (APHL), WITS HEALTH CONSORTIUM (WHC), CLINICAL AND LABORATORY STANDARDS INSTITUTE (CLSI) AND FIND DIAGNOSTICS HAVE ESTABLISHED A CONSORTIUM TO SUPPORT 'TRANSITIONING AND INTEGRATING LABORATORY SERVICES FOR HIGH QUALITY HIV DIAGNOSIS, CARE, TREATMENT, AND MONITORING TO THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH) TO SUSTAIN ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 95-95-95 GOALS IN ZAMBIA UNDER PEPFAR'. EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT DISEASE DIAGNOSTICS ARE AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF ANY RESILIENT HEALTH SYSTEM. STRONG LABORATORY (LAB) DIAGNOSTIC CAPACITY IS IMPORTANT FOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE, DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION, TREATMENT, HEALTH PROMOTION NOW MORE THAN EVER, GIVEN THE MYRIAD OF POTENTIAL GLOBAL HEALTH THREATS. LABS ARE A CRITICAL COMPONENT IN ACHIEVING THE UNAIDS 95-95-95 TARGETS TO HAVE AN AIDS-FREE GENERATION, RESPOND TO EMERGING PATHOGENS AND PROVIDE OPTIMAL CARE FOR HIV+ INDIVIDUALS. OVER THE PAST DECADE, TREMENDOUS EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN LAB SYSTEMS TO ADEQUATELY RESPOND TO THE SCALE UP OF THE ART PROGRAM IN PEPFAR COUNTRIES AND ADAPT THESE TO HEALTH CHALLENGES; HOWEVER, SEVERAL BARRIERS PERSIST IN CREATING SUSTAINABLE, ACCESSIBLE, AND EFFICIENT HIGH-QUALITY SYSTEMS THAT GOVERNMENTS CAN ADMINISTER WITH MINIMAL EXTERNAL SUPPORT. ZAMBIA CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS TOWARDS ENDING THE AIDS EPIDEMIC BY 2030 BY ADOPTING THE 95-95-95 TARGETS. THE COUNTRY HAS ATTAINED THE SECOND (98%) AND THIRD (96.3%) TARGET AMONG PERSONS >=15 YEARS OF AGE. DESPITE THESE REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CHALLENGES REMAIN IN ATTAINING THE FIRST TARGET AMONG ADULTS, FOR CHILDREN