Workshop on strengthening laboratory services for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in leprosy, 14–15 November 2022
Overview
The WHO Global Leprosy Programme (GLP) reviewed the leprosy situation globally at a consultation in June 2021 [see Report of the virtual Consultation on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in leprosy, New Delhi, India, 14–17 June 2021] involving laboratory experts and programme managers. It identified the need for developing or strengthening linkages of leprosy programmes with designated diagnostic sites or laboratories, and those between diagnostic laboratories and reference laboratories.
The Consultation, organized by WHO, highlighted the importance of quality control in AMR surveillance testing and mainstreaming of AMR surveillance in the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS). The Seventeenth Meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG-Leprosy), held on 29 November–1 December 2021, endorsed these suggestions from the consultation meeting. It recommended holding discussions with designated testing and reference laboratories to develop quality assurance techniques for testing drug resistance in leprosy.
In continuation to this, WHO organized a “Workshop on strengthening laboratory testing procedures for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in leprosy” at SIHRLC, Karigiri, Vellore, India, on 14–15 November 2022, involving country programme managers, laboratory experts, International Federation of Anti-leprosy Associations (ILEP) and WHO members.
The objectives of the meeting were to review the testing methods available to detect AMR in leprosy, encompassing the emerging evidence on testing procedures that included field-friendly methodology, and to strengthen and facilitate linkages between clinical reference laboratories and designated testing centres for quality assurance with regard to testing. This meeting was expected to develop global templates for AMR testing with a special focus on quality assurance.
