The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia (Apr 2023)
The COVID-19 laboratory response in Timor-Leste; a story of collaboration
- Nevio Sarmento,
- Endang Soares da Silva,
- Ismael Barreto,
- João C. Ximenes,
- Julia M. Angelina,
- Dircia M. Correia,
- Silvia M. Babo,
- Ari Jayanti P. Tilman,
- Antonio Salles de Sousa,
- Elisabeth Hornay,
- Lourenço C. Ico,
- Filipe de Neri Machado,
- Maria Varela Niha,
- Susan Ballard,
- Chantel Lin,
- Benjamin Howden,
- Rob Baird,
- Johanna Wapling,
- Lucsendar Alves,
- Tessa Oakley,
- Ian Marr,
- Anthony D.K. Draper,
- Paul Arkell,
- Heidi Smith-Vaughan,
- Nicholas S.S. Fancourt,
- Jennifer Yan,
- Joshua R. Francis
Affiliations
- Nevio Sarmento
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste; Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste; Corresponding author. Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste.
- Endang Soares da Silva
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Ismael Barreto
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- João C. Ximenes
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Julia M. Angelina
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Dircia M. Correia
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Silvia M. Babo
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Ari Jayanti P. Tilman
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Antonio Salles de Sousa
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Elisabeth Hornay
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Lourenço C. Ico
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Filipe de Neri Machado
- Departamento Vigilância e Epidemiologia, Ministério da Saúde, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Maria Varela Niha
- Departamento Vigilância e Epidemiologia, Ministério da Saúde, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Susan Ballard
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Chantel Lin
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Benjamin Howden
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Rob Baird
- Territory Pathology, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia
- Johanna Wapling
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Lucsendar Alves
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Tessa Oakley
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Ian Marr
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Anthony D.K. Draper
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste; Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control, Darwin, Australia; National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Paul Arkell
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste; Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
- Heidi Smith-Vaughan
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Nicholas S.S. Fancourt
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Jennifer Yan
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Joshua R. Francis
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 11
p. 100150
Abstract
Summary: Timor-Leste is a small nation of 1.3 million people which shares a land border with Indonesia and is 550 km from Darwin, Australia. It is one of the poorest nations in Asia. The National Health Laboratory (NHL) and its network of smaller laboratories in Timor-Leste had limited capacity to perform molecular diagnostic testing before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began.With the support of international development partners, the NHL rapidly expanded its molecular testing service. From March 2020 to February 2022, over 200,000 molecular tests were performed; COVID-19 testing sites were established in hospital and community health center laboratories and all 13 municipalities, and the number of scientists and technicians at the molecular diagnostic laboratory at the NHL increased from five to 28 between 2019 and 2022.Molecular diagnostic testing for COVID-19 was successfully established at the NHL and in the municipalities. The molecular diagnostic laboratory at NHL is now equipped to respond to not only large-scale COVID-19 testing but also laboratory detection of other infectious diseases, preparing Timor-Leste for future outbreaks or pandemics.
