CDC in Uzbekistan: 20 years of collaboration

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Summary

  • The CDC Central Asia office supported Uzbekistan’s emergency operation center during COVID-19.
  • Support for Uzbekistan included laboratory equipment donations, technical assistance, training, and screening for COVID-19 at points of entry.
  • Uzbekistan utilized CDC support to quickly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future public health emergencies.
Photo of a small United States flag and an Uzbekistan flag in a holder on a desk.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Service for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health (SSEWPH) have a long history of collaboration, dating back to 2003 when CDC established its office in Uzbekistan. Photo: Sharakhmedov Hamdam/Golden Minds

Photo of lab technicians performing sample preparation, processing, and RNA extraction process at the National Reference Laboratory at the Service for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health in Uzbekistan.

On July 28, 2020, CDC donated extensive medical and laboratory equipment and supplies to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health. Photo: Sharakhmedov Hamdam/Golden Minds

Photo of a laboratory technician reviewing PCR test results.

The donated laboratory equipment allows the country to process COVID-19 tests, using advanced Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) equipment. In-country testing enables patients to receive their COVID-19 test results more quickly. Photo: Sharakhmedov Hamdam/Golden Minds

Photo of a laboratory technician wearing protective clothing who is registering samples and checking them for quality as part of the process for running a COVID-19 PCR test.

CDC and SSEWPH joined forces to train public health workers, provide technical assistance for border health activities, and to develop and implement clinical protocols. Photo: Sharakhmedov Hamdam/Golden Minds

Photo of a worker using knowledge gained in training and donated laboratory equipment to perform COVID-19 tasks at the National Reference Laboratory in Uzbekistan.

In addition, the CDC Central Asia office supported the Uzbekistan Emergency Operation Center (EOC) by organizing trainings, providing technical assistance on emergency operations, laboratory operations, infection prevention and control, and screening at points of entry. These activities will serve Uzbekistan beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration and public health investment from partners will enable Uzbekistan to more quickly detect disease outbreaks and respond to them. Photo: Sharakhmedov Hamdam/Golden Minds