West African Lab Experts Call for Better Outbreak Detection

A gathering of lab experts in Lome, Togo, set off alarms about the region’s slipping health defenses. They warned that weak systems could let another major outbreak slip through unnoticed. The scientists urged governments to work together and boost diagnostic capabilities before a crisis hits.

The group pointed to past Ebola and COVID‑19 crises as lessons that should shape today’s planning. During 2014‑2016, Ebola claimed roughly 11,000 lives across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Kossi Kabo, leader of Togo’s medical biologists, stressed that waiting for an epidemic to appear would be too late. He said it is vital to foresee outbreaks and act early.

Recent threats show how fast diseases can spread unnoticed. A little‑known virus called Bundibugyo has caused more than 3,600 deaths in about 7,500 infections in Congo since mid‑May, becoming the quickest Ebola spread in history. After Congolese officials declared a new Ebola outbreak, the virus went unnoticed for weeks. Meanwhile, a Hantavirus case turned up on a cruise ship off Cape Verde in May, adding to the worry.

Scientists fear that without a big outbreak to focus attention, health facilities are being neglected and left unprepared. Arthur Bodurie Calvin Garber, head of Sierra Leone’s lab scientists group, added that governments should fund both people and facilities. He argued that investing in staff is as crucial as building new labs.