Local laboratory teams in Guinea's forest region can now test suspected cases of Ebola, Lassa fever and other viral hemorrhagic fevers on site, usually with results back within a day, according to Informationsdienst Wissenschaft. The German science news service reports that the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) has worked with Guinea's national VHF reference laboratory in Conakry, the Centre de Recherche en Virologie (CRV-LFHVG), since 2017 to build diagnostic capacity in Guéckédou and N'Zérékoré, with backing from Guinea's health ministry and the World Health Organization.
The findings, published in the journal npj Viruses, cover nearly a decade of Lassa fever surveillance in the region and show how heavily the disease affects local populations, the outlet reports.
Why it matters
West Africa's 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic demonstrated worldwide why testing capacity needs to sit close to where patients fall ill, not only in capital cities. Informationsdienst Wissenschaft reports that work on the viral hemorrhagic fever laboratory in Guéckédou (LFHV-GKD) began in late 2016 in response to that outbreak, and the facility has operated since 2017. A laboratory first set up at the regional hospital in N'Zérékoré during the Ebola crisis (LFHV-HRNZE) was expanded in 2021.
Both sites belong to Guinea's national VHF surveillance system. They operate on behalf of the health ministry, receive support from the Conakry reference laboratory, and offer free molecular testing for Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses as well as yellow fever and dengue.
"Our study shows that we detect and record disease cases in forest Guinea much better," Fara Raymond Koundouno, head of the Guéckédou laboratory and lead author of the study, said in comments carried by the outlet. He added that the work underlines the importance of continuing to strengthen laboratory capacity so the country is prepared for, and able to respond to, emerging diseases.
Nearly 4,700 samples tested over seven years
Between 2017 and 2024, the two laboratories examined 4,683 samples from suspected VHF cases, with results generally available within one day, according to the report. The teams confirmed infections with Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses, among others.
The outlet describes two main benefits for Guinea. First, outbreaks can be spotted faster: in 2021 the laboratory teams quickly identified the reappearance of Ebola and the arrival of Marburg virus disease, and played a key role in confirming cases promptly so countermeasures could begin. Second, diagnostic testing now produces dependable data on Lassa fever, yellow fever and dengue in the region, where limited testing had long held back surveillance.
Between 2020 and 2024, the laboratories confirmed 30 Lassa fever cases, mostly in the Guéckédou and N'Zérékoré prefectures. Lassa fever is endemic in West Africa but had rarely been documented in Guinea. Before the two laboratories existed, only a handful of individual cases had been reported, even though earlier seroprevalence studies suggested the virus was widespread in some areas. The systematically confirmed acute cases from forest Guinea now support that assumption for the first time, Informationsdienst Wissenschaft reports.
"This programme shows what a resilient health system really looks like: diagnostic capacity that is built to last and not just deployed temporarily in emergencies," said Dr Sophie Duraffour, who heads the "Outbreak Preparedness and Response" laboratory group at BNITM, according to the outlet. She added that sustainability remains the open question, since funding for this kind of work is still largely tied to specific programmes.
Funding and the road to regional training hubs
The authors argue the programme has reached a turning point. In recent years international donors, above all the Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP) of Germany's federal health ministry, have contributed substantially to building and running both laboratories, the report states. Keeping such capacity going beyond time-limited, donor-funded programmes remains a major challenge.
The teams also see room to grow: widening the range of diagnostic tests, bringing in peripheral health centres, and turning the laboratories into regional training centres. Such centres could train specialists from other prefectures and neighbouring countries, helping build a cross-border network for outbreak diagnostics.
"Our study shows what sustainable support can achieve," project leader Dr Giuditta Annibaldis said, per the outlet. She added that if the capacity is secured and developed further, forest Guinea could move from being an epicentre of severe epidemics to a model for community-based disease prevention.
The authors note that sustainable diagnostic capacity in high-risk areas is essential at a time when parts of Africa are again facing Ebola outbreaks, currently caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The forest Guinea experience shows how decentralised laboratories support national and global health security through early case detection, more targeted outbreak response and better data for decision-makers, according to Informationsdienst Wissenschaft.
Watch whether donors shift from short-term programme funding to long-term support for the two laboratories, and whether the planned regional training role takes shape.
