SRL Network factsheet

Overview

The WHO TB Supranational Reference Laboratory Network (SRLN) was created in 1994 in order to support the WHO-IUATLD Global Project on TB drug resistance surveillance.

The objectives of the Global Project are to estimate the magnitude of drug resistance globally, determine trends and provide data to inform WHO policy decisions.

Core principles of the Global Project are to ensure accurate and representative sampling of the populations under study, allow for the differentiation of new and previously treated cases and ensure that laboratory results are quality assured. Originally, 14 laboratories volunteered to form the SRL Network based on institutional capacity and their own resources to support the Global Project.