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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with the Government of Liberia (GOL) and local and international partners, actively supports timely detection and response activities to control disease outbreaks at their source and neutralize other public health threats, including breaking the chain of transmission of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) during the 2014-2016 outbreak. Building on capacities developed during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak response efforts, CDC has continued to support the GOL and partners in maintaining an active alert system to ensure rapid detection and response to infectious diseases with epidemic potential. In order to maintain vigilance against potential outbreaks of disease and other public health threats, CDC and partners on the ground must work to ensure that specimens collected for testing are rapidly transported to a designated laboratory for advanced diagnostics. Timely confirmation of infectious diseases allows for rapid isolation of patients, reducing the number of contacts and reducing the risk of widespread transmission. Timely disease detection also decreases the number of resources required for contact tracing, quarantining, and monitoring. When infectious diseases strike, getting fast and accurate laboratory diagnoses is critical to stopping an outbreak from becoming a widespread epidemic.

The 2014-2016 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Liberia exposed the acute vulnerability of Liberia's public health system. Limited laboratory capacity and resources, including lack of diagnostic capacities to test for infectious diseases, an unreliable blood supply with inadequate blood services, and poor to non-existent infection prevention and control (IPC) resources and practices in health facilities and laboratories left the Liberian health system unprepared for the EVD outbreak. Significant investments and gains have been made since 2014 to strengthen Liberia's public health system; however, the system remains fragile. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with the Government of Liberia (GOL) and local and international partners, continues to support health system strengthening activities, further building Liberia's capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to disease outbreaks at their source. This NOFO supports activities to strengthen laboratory capacities, further developing a competent laboratory workforce and expanding diagnostic capacities, reinforced through laboratory quality management activities; improved blood transfusion practices to build and maintain quality blood transfusion services; and strengthening infection prevention and control practices, with the goal of reducing transmission of epidemic prone diseases and antimicrobial resistance within healthcare facilities. These activities align with Global Health Security Agenda priorities in preventing, detecting and responding to potential public health threats. In order to continue efforts to maintain and expand Liberia's capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to potential infectious disease outbreaks, CDC, the GOL, and partners must work to ensure a rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases.

This project will: 1. Enhance and strengthen ongoing regional cooperation related to the creation of a shared surveillance information platform. 2. Contribute to efficiencies the small Central American countries are seeking to improve laboratory capacity by creating networks of reference laboratories. 3. Develop and implement regional guidelines for biosafety, as well as other guidelines that are appropriately developed regionally. It will strengthen the network of epidemiologists and regional epidemiological training. 4. Strengthen regional communication and the capacity of the countries of the region to respond in a coordinated manner to epidemiological and public health threats. This program addresses the issues of Health Communication; Immunization and Infectious Diseases; Public Health Infrastructure; Respiratory Diseases; and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and is in alignment with HHS/CDC performance goal(s) to protect Americans from infectious diseases by providing global health promotion, health protection and health diplomacy. Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one (or more) of the following performance goal(s) the Center for Global Health’s priority areas identified in "Protecting the Nation’s Health in an Era of Globalization: CDC’s Global Strategy for Addressing Infectious Diseases". Priority areas for this cooperative agreement include: 1) implementation of proven disease prevention and control interventions, 2) application of proven public health tools, 3) identification of potential global initiatives for disease control and, 4)public health training and capacity building.

The ever-changing patterns of globally mobile populations and the incidence and prevalence of disease in these populations are important factors in monitoring, preventing, and controlling disease importation and/or spread in U.S. populations. A better understanding of the scope and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases in globally mobile populations is needed in order to improve public health practices and interventions aimed at preventing illness in refugees, immigrants, travelers and domestic populations. The purpose of this NOFO is to conduct public health research on endemic, neglected, emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases, and other conditions of public health importance, in U.S. bound refugees and other globally mobile populations, in order to promote health and prevent disease in domestic and international populations.

The United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to help the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Health meet key International Health Regulation (IHR) requirements through implementation of priority Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) activities. The objectives of this program are to strengthen Côte d'Ivoire's health system capacities to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. This program emphasizes further improving core GHSA priority capacities in disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, emergency preparedness and response, public health workforce development, and strengthening of anti-microbial resistance stewardship. This program includes a particular focus on strengthening disease surveillance through the establishment of an event-based surveillance system in high-risk border districts, reinforced through public health staff training and supervision. Surveillance and response capacities will be bolstered through improved laboratory point of care diagnostics and the integration of epidemiologic and laboratory data. This program will also support building Côte d'Ivoire's capacity to respond to disease outbreaks and public health emergencies through the training and mentoring of a cadre of public health workers in each of the 101 districts in Côte d'Ivoire in field epidemiology and emergency preparedness and response, reinforcing these capacities via field simulation exercises.

The U.S. government's (USG) Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) envisions a world safe and secure from global health threats posed by infectious diseases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is assisting the Governments globally to meet key International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) requirements through the implementation of the GHSA. CDC seeks to partner with the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, through a cooperative agreement in a collaborative effort to achieve specific goals in three focus areas of the GHSA specifically: 1. workforce capacity development through FELTP, 2. the "One Health" approach through coordination and collaboration, and 3. Laboratory system strengthening. The proposals funded through the cooperative agreement will respond to Zoonotic Disease Prevention of the GHSA by supporting the Georgian National Animal Health Plan, expanding and updating a cadre of the workforce and training of public health veterinarians to work with epidemiologists and laboratorians in the context of evidence-based timely detection and response, and adapting the One Health approach with the expected outcomes of stopping the diseases in animals before they spill-over into humans and strengthening the current surveillance system.

This position has developed out of a collaborative research initiative between CHM and the International Diagnostics Centre (IDC) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on diagnostics for communicable disease. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of dynamic contextual processes and environmental factors in determining how individuals, populations, and health systems respond to novel technologies and disease control interventions. However, the role of socio-cultural factors is often unacknowledged in technology development, implementation, and assessments, with consequences for the uptake and efficacy of healthcare delivery and disease control in the population. The collaboration between CHM and IDC aims to promote cross-disciplinary research into diagnostic technologies, foregrounding the significance of socio-cultural contexts in the development, successful integration, and sustainable implementation of diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases in East Asia.

Nigeria has a projected estimated population size of 203,452,505 (July 2018), which makes Nigeria the most populous nation in Africa. The country's National Health Act 2014 (NHA 2014) was signed into law on October 31, 2014 and provides a legal framework for the regulation and management of Nigeria's national health system, however, much work is needed to operationalize the law. Monitoring and mitigating recurring infectious disease outbreaks, as well as detecting and controlling emerging infectious diseases, will be impacted by multiple factors that include inadequate surveillance and response systems, weakened or non-existent infrastructure and health systems and poor coordination among stakeholder agencies. Nigeria is a major gateway to many global destinations. In July 2014, the index case in the Nigeria Ebola Virus disease outbreak arrived at the international airport in Lagos, Nigeria. This index patient potentially exposed 72 persons at the airport and the hospital where he was admitted. The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), with guidance from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), declared an Ebola emergency and rapidly implemented a response using all available public health assets and resources. An Ebola Incident Management Center (a precursor to the current Emergency Operations Center) was established to rapidly respond to the 2014 outbreak. Using an Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate the response and consolidate decision making, largely contributed to helping contain the Nigeria outbreak early.

The U.S. government's (USG) Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) envisions a world safe and secure from global health threats posed by infectious diseases, and the current Ebola epidemic in West Africa further underscores the economic and humanitarian impacts of infectious diseases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to help Ministries of Health meet key International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) requirements through implementation of the GHSA. CDC seeks to work with partner countries and other USG agencies in a collaborative effort to achieve specific goals in three focus areas:

This program will provide training for public-health professionals and students in basic and applied public-health science, and public-health program planning, implementation and evaluation on a regional level; 2. Strengthen regional, national and local capacity in Central America to conduct public-health science; to plan, implement and evaluate public-health programs and surveillance systems; and to develop interventions; 3. Support national and regional disease prevention, detection, and control efforts in Central America, including rapid response to public health emergencies; and 4. Incorporate lessons learned from evaluations and assessments of programs to control and eradicate diseases in Guatemala and the Central America Region, and ensure sharing of expertise with public-health partners in the Region.

The purpose of this cooperative agreement is: To conduct and monitor epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory-based projects, surveillance, and research of important diseases in Liberia. To incorporate the results of research activities into operational disease detection, prevention, and response or control programs in Liberia and ensure the strengthening of local workforce capacity and dissemination of findings across the region, with partners, and globally.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeks to support routine laboratory-based surveillance of priority infectious diseases and lab confirmation of outbreaks in India by strengthening laboratory-based surveillance and specimen referral systems. This will involve advocacy and consultation/strategic planning meetings with various national and international stakeholders of human and veterinary sectors; training on routine laboratory-based surveillance and follow up. The identified laboratories should also be trained on biorisk management and safe packaging and referral of specimens using IATA-DGR (International Air Transport Association's Dangerous Goods Regulations).

This single-source funding opportunity announcement (FOA) Enhancing Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capacities in the Americas in Collaboration with the National Center for Prevention Programs and Disease Control (CENAPRECE) in Mexico invites an application for a five-year cooperative agreement between the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) to support CENAPRECE (an agency within Mexico Secretariat of Health [SALUD]). The envisioned ASPR-FUMEC-CENAPRECE collaboration sustains and advances the long-standing relationship between the United States and Mexico aimed at safeguarding each country from public health threats and fulfilling the goals of multiple international frameworks and agreements, including the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) (http://www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241580496/en/). Projects and activities proposed by CENAPRECE for this agreement will combine strategic coordination of public health preparedness and emergency response programs as well as technical collaborations to strengthen the capacities of both countries and the region to prevent, detect, report, and respond to public health emergencies of all types, focusing on pandemic influenza, other emerging infectious diseases, and chemical, biological, and radiological (terrorism) hazards.

he FETP graduates, staff and trainees are important assets and help build sustainable public health capacity in their countries. Through public health conferences they share field epidemiology experiences and present work investigations through oral and poster presentations. This collaboration reinforces best practices in applied epidemiology, training, surveillance, and response and introduces new tools, concepts, and training materials. However, the region’s FETPs can be more effective if their collaboration extends beyond scientific conferences. Network development can enhance surveillance, investigation and response capacity globally through regular communication and exchange of information and allow for more robust response to regional and national public health threats. In 2009, the FETPs in the East Mediterranean Region (EMRO) began to organize a network in the Middle East that partner with MOH FETP representatives, CDC and EMRO closely collaborate to strengthen existing national FETPs and regional disease surveillance. This close collaboration and networking among programs is critical as the globe faces new and re-emerging public health threats. The recent outbreaks of Ebola and Zika viruses clearly demonstrate the need for strong local and regional programs that can mobilize rapid response teams quickly and assist countries and global partners to control disease and strengthen public health infrastructure.

Botswana has both a high prevalence of HIV (25% among persons 15-49 years of age) and a high incidence of TB (455 new cases per 100,000 population per year). Drug resistance is a concern with both diseases. High quality surveillance and monitoring data are needed for effective disease control efforts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) has two primary objectives. Both are meant to support ongoing efforts of the Botswana Ministry of Health (MOH). The first objective is to strengthen the capacity of the TB laboratory and surveillance systems focusing on drug resistance and system integration. The second objective is to a) complete the national rollout of PIMS II (Patient Information Management System) to health care facilities and development of the national data warehouse and b) to support development and implementation of an HIV surveillance strategy at national- and district-levels.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to establish Phase 2 of the U.S.-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research.  Research areas supported under this program include: sexually transmitted infections; parasitic infections; arboviruses and emerging/re-emerging viral pathogens; and vector biology and control. The intent of this FOA is to foster, stimulate, and/or expand basic, translational, behavioral and applied research that will advance scientific discovery and engage U.S. and South African scientists working collaboratively in the areas of infectious disease research.  Proposed research should reflect the highest possible scientific standards, as well as shared interests, international and local public health needs and priorities, and involve mutually advantageous collaborations among institutions, including participating communities and other partners.  U.S. and South African investigators working in partnership will prepare and submit a single joint application.  Applications must include at least one PD/PI affiliated with the U.S. institution and a South African PD/PI from an eligible institution from South Africa.

CDC, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Program/Department of AIDS Control, has successfully laid the foundation for quality standards and approaches within India's vast HIV laboratory network through a previous five-year laboratory strengthening funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Many achievements were made during the course of the five-year project period, including accreditation of national and state reference labs. This follow-on FOA is expected to build upon and sustain previous accomplishments through onsite mentoring and in service staff training with an eye to higher quality services and scale up. A plan will be developed to facilitate laboratory quality at the grassroots level for 12,000 + Integrated HIV Testing and Counseling Centers (ICTCs). This shall be done through trainer/mentor creation within the HIV laboratory network to assist peripheral laboratories in implementing minimum quality standards. Given its expanded technical assistance (TA) scope, it is also expected to build the capacity and assure quality in a phased manner for HIV related tests like CD4 enumeration, HIV viral load and STI through strengthening leadership and mentoring capacity within the laboratory network. Now in Phase IV of its HIV/AIDS response, the Government of India (GoI) is keen to address any gaps in testing coverage.

Cameroon is one of the 30 countries with the highest burden of TB/HIV co-infection worldwide. Only 54% of TB cases were notified in 2016 and 5.5% were children. TB treatment coverage was 55% and treatment success 84%.Despite implementation of TB and HIV strategic plans, TB case finding, diagnosis, and management remain suboptimal. TB/HIV co-infection remains high, Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) implementation is limited, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) services are not fully integrated in TB clinics. Human resource capacity is limited, and there are continued challenges with stock management.Cameroon adheres to the Sustainable Development Goals and the WHO Strategy to END TB. This NOFO will support development of models to improve screening, case identification, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB among people living with HIV (PLHIV). It will also strengthen HIV testing, ART initiation, clinical monitoring, and care for TB clients, and strengthen health systems by building monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and infection control (IC) capacity. These interventions will strengthen TB/HIV services and improve capacity for an effective TB/HIV response in Cameroon.

Reliable, efficient laboratory services and networks are fundamental components of effective, well-functioning health systems and are essential for patient management, disease detection and control and surveillance. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support the Ministry of Health in Mozambique to strengthen the integrated national laboratory network in order to ensure the provision of quality laboratory services for clinical diagnosis, screening, research, and surveillance to support HIV care and treatment and the achievement of an AIDS free generation. The FOA will address the following cross-cutting elements of laboratory systems: governance and management of the integrated laboratory network, strengthening institutions to build and retain a quality laboratory workforce, and building technical and scientific capacity and implementing quality management systems towards accreditation. The expected project outcomes include:* Increased efficiency of laboratory network operations* Increased implementation of quality management systems through a technically and financially sustainable quality improvement and accreditation program owned and implemented by the Ministry of Health* An increase in the coverage and quality of external quality assessment (EQA) services* Improved adherence to laboratory biosafety standards* Improved quality of laboratory pre-service training * Increase in number of laboratory managers and leaders with Master's level training* Improved capacity of laboratory workforce and decreased reliance on external training support

For over forty years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with the Government of Kenya (GoK) to protect the health of the Kenyan people and strengthen health systems. The United States Government remains the largest investor in Kenya's health sector. This investment includes PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), GHSA (Global Health Security Agenda), Malaria, TB, Immunizations and Influenza. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks to build upon activities funded by CDC to support USG global health priorities in Kenya through implementation of programs and activities that focus on strengthening public health programs. After five years of implementing and strengthening global health security systems, the USG will continue to advance prevent, detect, and respond strategies to mitigate threats. This NOFO's main outcomes are to: Improve prevention of avoidable epidemics including naturally occurring outbreaks and intentional or accidental releases of dangerous pathogens Improve ability to rapidly detect threats early, including detecting, characterizing, and reporting emerging biological threats Respond rapidly and effectively to public health threats of international concern Strengthen implementation science programs and platforms to improve health outcomes