US Government Donates Lab To Ghana Armed Forces Through PEPFAR

U.S. Defense Attaché Lt. Col. Keith Blakely Cut The Ribbon With Commodore Sowa, Director General- Medical Of The Ghana Armed Forces (Gaf), On A Newly Donated Laboratory Facility In Takoradi In The Western Region

Takoradi, Ghana - U.S. Defense Attache Lt. Col. Keith Blakely and Deputy Office of Security Cooperation Chief Lt. Col. John Van Steenburgh cut the ribbon with Commodore Sowa, Director General- Medical of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), on a newly donated laboratory facility in Takoradi in the Western Region.

The laboratory will assist the GAF in developing and implementing military-specific HIV prevention, care and treatment programs, including: HIV testing and counseling: diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; and screening for tuberculosis.

The U.S. Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) constructed and equipped the laboratory, valued at $85,000, for use by the Ghana Armed Forces. This collaboration between the US Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU)-3 and the DHAPP is funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The renovation initiative started in 2010, and transformed the former building into two laboratories, one for HIV/AIDS and the other for Malaria. The facility intends to reach out to the large military community in the area, including active duty and retired military personnel (Navy, Air Force and Army), civilian staff and family members living in Sekondi and Takoradi.

The U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU)-3has engaged in numerous infectious disease surveillance efforts in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) such as influenza surveillance, sexually transmitted disease surveillance, and acute febrile infections (AFI) surveillance, and will be initiating this AFI surveillance at the Takoradi laboratory in the upcoming year.

With the laboratory established with the GAF, education and training of the support staff will pave the way for more sophisticated testing to be undertaken autonomously by the garrison. Through this project, the facility has been furnished with state of the art laboratory equipment, including: a centrifuge, an analytical balance, a light microscope, hot air oven, an incubator an autoclave, and an overhead water tank with the capacity to store over 1000 gallons of water and water heaters .

The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief- PEPFAR program implemented by USAID, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State and Peace Corps have fought the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in Ghana since 2007.

PEPFAR, which directly funds the Government of Ghana's AIDS response supported HIV counseling and testing for more than 86,000 people in 2012 alone and is currently working with 15 laboratories across the country to attain international accreditation.

PEPFAR supports people living with HIV today in Ghana, to empower them to take care of themselves, to help each other seek treatment, and to bring the message of prevention to others.

U.S. Defense Attaché Lt. Col. Keith Blakely Cut The Ribbon With Commodore Sowa, Director General- Medical Of The Ghana Armed Forces (Gaf), On A Newly Donated Laboratory Facility In Takoradi In The Western Region