SADC Regional Livestock Sector Training Workshop on Internal Quality Control and External Quality Assurance Programmes for Veterinary Laboratories

The workshop was one of the activities of the IAEA funded SADC regional project, RAF/5/053, on Control and Eradication of major Epizootics which will run between 2001 and 2003. The overall objective of this project is to support national and regional animal disease diagnostics and surveillance needs within the framework of OAU/IBAR/PACE programme for establishing sustainable food security and development of rural agriculture-based economies. The workshop was designed by the SADC Livestock Sector sub-committee on Diagnostics. This workshop focused on two main issues: 1) participants' views on production and distribution of diagnostic kits within the region; and 2) establishment of Internal Quality Control and External Quality Assurance Programmes (IQC/EQAP) and networking mechanisms within and among national veterinary diagnostics laboratories. The specific objectives of the workshop were: 1. To provide training in quality assurance procedures, their introduction and use with the eventual aim of international accreditation of the regions veterinary laboratories 2. To provide training in IQC for laboratory assays and to use the indirect ELISA kit for brucellosis antibody detection as an example for this exercise 3. To discuss and learn techniques and approaches for the sustainable production and distribution of diagnostic kits. 4. To establish a mechanism for networking laboratory practitioners The overall aim is to harmonise diagnostic activities and attain accreditation among national veterinary laboratories in accordance with requirements of Office International des Epizootiques in Paris (OIE).