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The AFRIMS influenza surveillance program provides rapid diagnostic kits and specimen collection and transportation capabilities to parctitioners seeing patients with the AFRIMS-GEIS surveillance network. In Nepal, the Philippines, and Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, AFRIMS has developed laboratories that can perform RT-PCR diagnostics. Confirmatory testing and further characterization are accomplished at the AFRIMS central respiratory laboratory facilities in Bangkok. All samples are transporated to AFIOH, where further molecular characterization is undertaken, and a select number are sent to the WHO Collaborating Center at the CDC headquarters. This system provides on site, clinically relevent information, confirmatory testing within the region, and include in the DoD Global Influenza Surveillance System and WHO FluNet program.
Influenza surveillance at AFRIMS is activie throughout Nepal, in the Philippines, in Kamphaeng Phet, and at six Royal Thai Army hospitals with significant cross-border traffic. These Royal Thai Army sites are using a mass tag diagnostic system new to AFRIMS this year; this technology, developed at Columbia University, allows testing for 30 respiratory pathogens with one sample. In Nepal, the Walter Reed/AFRIMS Research Unit-Nepal (WARUN) continues to serve as the reference laboratory for the National Public Health Laboratory and runs sentinel influenza surveillance sites in the Kathmandu Valley. AFRIMS performs surveillance at US embassies in India, Nepal, Philippines, and Thailand .