Table 1.
National public health laboratories in Ethiopia.
| Laboratories1 | Lab type | BSL2 | Lab location | Areas covered | Population of areas covered3 | Cholera case diagnosis experience | Cholera case diagnosis capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) National Reference Laboratory4 | National Reference laboratory | BSL 2 | Addis Ababa (Capital city) | Nation-wide | 103 million | Yes | RDT culture serotyping (PCR) |
| Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) Laboratory5 | National Clinical Research Reference laboratory | BSL 2 | Addis Ababa (Capital city) | Nation-wide | 103 million | Yes | RDT culture serotyping (PCR) |
| Addis Ababa Regional Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Addis Ababa | Addis Ababa | 3.8 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Adama Public Health Research & Referral Laboratory | Regional Laboratory | BSL 2 | Adama zone | Oromia region | 39.0 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Afar Public Health Institute Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Semera | Afar region | 1.9 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Amhara Public Health Institute Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Amhara Bahir Dar | Amahara region | 22.5 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Amhara Public Health Institute Laboratory - Dessie Branch | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Dessie | Amhara region (South Wello zone North Wello zone North Shewa zone Oromo Special zone Waghimra-zone) |
8.2 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Benishangul Gumuz Regional Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Assossa | Benishangul-Gumuz region | 1.2 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Diredawa Regional Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Dire Dawa | Dire Dawa city | 521,000 | Yes | RDT culture |
| Gambella Regional Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Gambella | Gambella region | 492,002 | Yes | RDT culture |
| Harari Regional Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Harar | Harar region | 270,000 | Yes | RDT culture |
| Nekemte Public Health Research and Referral Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Nekemte, Oromia Regional State | East Wollega West Wollega Horo Gudru Wollega Kelem Wollega Iluabbabor Bunno Bedele Jimma Zone West Shewa zone Jimma town Nekemt town Ambo town |
11 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Shashemene Public Health Research and Referral Laboratory | Regional Laboratory | BSL 2 | Shashemene | West Arsi zone Borena Guiji West Guji Shashemene town Bishan guracha town |
7 million | No | None |
| Somali Regional Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Jigjiga | Somali region | 6.4 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR): Regional State Public Health Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Hawassa | SNNPR region Sidama region |
21.0 million | Yes | RDT culture |
| Tigray Health Research Institute Laboratory | Regional laboratory | BSL 2 | Mekele | Tigray region | 5.6 million | Yes | RDT culture |
The list of national public health laboratories compiled by the EPHI and AHRI and also referred to the Ethiopian National Accreditation Office (ENAO) official webpage;
BSL, Biosafety level;
Ethiopia Population Projection Wereda as of July 2021 | Central Statistics Agency official webpage (http://www.statsethiopia.gov.et/population-projection);
EPHI laboratory, Established in 1996 as the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI) laboratory, and the name changed in 2013 as the EPHI laboratory. Mandated to increase and maintain quality assurance of public laboratories; enhance and implement quality management system of public laboratories; and strengthen laboratory capacity for referral and back-up testing services;
AHRI laboratory, Mandated to foster evidence-based decision making; improve medical research capacity; foster health innovation and technology transfer; promote local and international participatory research; and improve efficiency of system and ensure accountability.