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Walter Reed Program-Nigeria conducts malaria microscopy training for 38 medical laboratory scientists
As part of efforts to equip medical laboratory scientists with essentials skills to improve accurate diagnoses of malaria in Nigeria, the Walter Reed Program-Nigeria (WRP-N), conducted a 10-day malaria microscopy training for 38 medical laboratory scientists in May 2023.
The training conducted in collaboration with the Nigeria Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme (NMOD-HIP) and the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), took place simultaneously in Lagos and Abuja, with participants selected from Akwa Ibom, Benue, Ebonyi, Nassarawa, Oyo, Plateau, Zamfara states.
Practical session at the malaria microscopy training (Photo by Naomi Oboyi for WRP-N)
The capacity-building activity featured comprehensive classroom sessions, group discussions, presentations, and practical demonstrations. The topics covered during the training included parasite detection/speciation, malaria blood film preparation, and stain preparation, among others.
At the end of the training, participants thanked WRP-N for organizing what they described as a comprehensive and well-structured program, while also promising to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues to ensure accurate malaria diagnoses.
With support from the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) through the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), WRP-N carries out capacity-building activities aimed at improving the accuracy of malaria diagnosis in 11 states in Nigeria. Between 2012 and now, over 1800 medical laboratory scientists have been successfully trained to accurately diagnose malaria in their healthcare facilities.
Participants at the training session in Abuja (Photo by Naomi Oboyi for WRP-N)