UAE: Health authorities train regional staff on Covid virus sequencing

Health authorities in Abu Dhabi have trained medical staff from seven regional countries on sequencing and analysis of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19.

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) hosted a two-week-long workshop for staff from regional National Influenza Centres. It was held at the Reference Laboratory for Infectious Disease (Surveillance Laboratory) of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), part of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).

The workshop was organised in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Ministry of Health (MoH), and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), and attended by medical staff from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Libya and Sudan.

Dr Francis Selvaraj, senior research scientist at SKMC, along with Dr Antoine Aboufayad and Dr Rabeh Elshesheny from the WHO, trained the staff on the approved protocol for sequencing SARS-CoV-2 to determine the virus’ lineage and identify emerging mutations and new strains.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and ADPHC have been working with SKMC’s Surveillance Laboratory, which acts as the UAE’s National Influenza Centre, on a genomic surveillance project since the start of 2021. In partnership with the WHO, the project has been sequencing samples from countries in the region that lack the necessary lab capacity while also monitoring circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2 within the UAE.

Dr Farida Al Hosani, Executive Director of Infectious Diseases and Official Spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, underlined that ADPHC has played a vital role in training regional labs on next-generation sequencing aids.

“Virus genome sequencing is a powerful tool in the diagnosis of Covid-19 and in comprehending the spread and control of the novel mutated strains. Long-term, this will enable public health authorities to improve the precision, efficacy, and efficiency of public health decision-making responses. The workshop was a collaborative success. We continue working hand in hand to combat the pandemic.”

Dr Stefan Weber, acting medical director of the Reference Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, noted that the skill of sequencing is crucial to the current pandemic.

“Every participant has a high responsibility when they go back to their home countries in helping them to spread these skills,” said Dr Weber, who is also the consultant microbiologist at SKMC.

‘SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly mutating’

The workshop was organised by Dr Barakat, Dr Weber and Sahar Ahmed Almarzooqi, project coordinator from SKMC.