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A consortium of Australia’s leading infectious disease research centres - the Kirby, Doherty, and Burnet Institutes – together with international collaborators, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics - will strengthen ­laboratory capacity for testing and diagnosis of COVID-19, HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in ­our region.

The $5,204,667 in funding for this collaboration is part of Australia’s $242 million commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The focus of this work was developed in partnership between Australia and the Global Fund, and will maximise the impact of related Global Fund investments.

“With COVID-19 cases rising in many countries of the Asia-Pacific region, there have been growing concerns about how the increased pressure on health systems will impact existing programs to eliminate malaria, tuberculosis and HIV,” says Professor Anthony Kelleher, Director of the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.

“This investment from the Australian Government will allow us to work with our partners in Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and Laos PDR to enhance local laboratory capacity which is essential for the accurate diagnosis of these infectious diseases, and which is stretched by the heightened challenges brought on by COVID-19.”

Professor Deborah Williamson from the Doherty Institute said it was essential to move quickly. “Infectious diseases require a constant foot on the pedal. Lifting it even slightly is enough to see rapid resurgence of diseases that we have been working hard to bring under control. This is a critical time for the management of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV in many countries of our region, and this investment from the Australian Government will help ensure crucial gains achieved are not lost while at the same time enhancing testing capacity for COVID-19.”

Rising cases of COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea have highlighted regional health security concerns when infectious diseases are not contained in our neighbouring countries.

“The grant is designed to improve impact of Global Fund’s work in our region through lab strengthening of countries to carry out the critical task of testing and diagnosis,” says Australia’s Ambassador for Regional Health Security, Dr Stephanie Williams. “It will also continue to strengthen technical partnerships between experts in Australia’s world-class institutions and their regional counterparts.”

In recent years there has been many technological developments in testing for infectious diseases. Tests are now more accurate, can be conducted and analysed more easily, and are performed at the local level. This collaboration will investigate how best to integrate these technologies into existing health systems and in resource poor settings.