Battelle, an applied science and technology nonprofit company, recently sent two employees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to provide training to local healthcare officials in dealing with the Ebola Virus.
Ebola remains a significant health issue in Africa. The nation is currently undergoing the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.
The Battelle employees were in the country representing the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). They provided training at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa, the nation’s capital, teaching Congolese researchers how to conduct serologic assays to detect immune response to Ebola virus in vaccinated and exposed individuals.
They also trained local response workers in the field. The training covered use of containment laboratory personal protective equipment and mobile containment units for laboratory support of the first ever randomized controlled trial to evaluate medical countermeasures in the treatment of Ebola virus disease.
Battelle has been providing on-site support in Africa for several years. Employees on the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) response team are typically deployed for up to a month at a time to various countries, including Liberia, Guinea, Mali and Angola. The training gives participants a chance to practice with instruments and procedures they’ll use in an outbreak setting. Ultimately, the idea is to prepare and equip local staff in these countries to take on greater responsibilities during their own health response activities.