During health emergencies, timely information can allow governments to make decisions that save lives. But in 2020, Mongolia faced challenges in getting some of the evidence it needed.
“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was crucial to determine which variants were causing the disease in Mongolia,” says Naranzul Tsedenbal, head of the Virology Laboratory at Mongolia’s National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD). However, the country’s laboratories were not equipped to use the most accurate, up-to-date methods, so samples were sent overseas for genomic sequencing. This led to delays in receiving some of the crucial data required to help Mongolia make evidence-based decisions about public health measures.
“During the outbreak of any infectious disease, time is gold,” says Naranzul. “We need to act quickly.” To strengthen Mongolia’s laboratories, a collaboration was set up between the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region, the WHO Mongolia country office, NCCD and Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), which is a WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza.
With WHO support, three scientists from NCCD visited NIID in Japan in April 2021, where they received training on how to perform whole genome sequencing and analysis. Funding from WHO helped equip NCCD with the necessary sequencing equipment, reagents and software; specialists from Japan and WHO spent time in Mongolia, providing on-the-job training to laboratory scientists.
Bio Medical Researcher Otgonbileg Jamsran is working on test samples at the virology laboratory at the National Center for Communicable Diseases in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Photo credit: WHO/ Khasar Sandag
The ability to conduct high-quality sequencing in-country helped Mongolia conduct timely risk assessments and make quick decisions based on up-to-date information. In July 2022, for example, sequencing conducted at NCCD identified a new variant – BA.5 – of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Mongolia’s largest national festival, Naadam, was just weeks away.
With increased travel and large group gatherings taking place during the festival, this highly transmissible and more severe variant posed a significant risk. Based on the evidence from domestic laboratories, the Mongolian Government made the decision to mobilize extra testing centres, prepare the health system for a potential surge and conduct a widespread communication campaign encouraging the public to take up protective measures. Such timely preparedness and response would not have been possible if the samples had been sent overseas for sequencing.
With stronger labs, Mongolia can detect and analyse a range of infectious diseases more quickly. “Infectious diseases are public health challenges that affect our entire society,” says Naranzul. “I see our work helping many people, and saving lives as virtuous.”
Dr. Naranzul Tsedenbal the Head of Virology Laboratory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is putting on his gloves before he commences work. Photo credit: WHO/Khasar Sandag
Alongside emergencies caused by infectious diseases, the Western Pacific Region faces the risk of public health emergencies caused by many other hazards, including antimicrobial resistance, contaminated food, extreme weather events, earthquakes, and chemical and radio-nuclear incidents.
Addressing these hazards is at the heart of the draft Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework, which will be discussed at the seventy-fourth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific this month.
The draft Framework is designed to support prevention, preparedness, readiness and response towards public health emergencies and to strengthen the resilience of health security systems. It provides guidance to Member States on building comprehensive health security systems that encompass the core capacities of the International Health Regulations (2005) or IHR, as well as multisectoral health security capacities needed to strengthen resilience to the public health threats of the future.
WHO is committed to supporting Member States in the Western Pacific Region to build strong health security systems. Read more about the draft Framework.