The September Monthly Update

Keep up with what’s happening in laboratory medicine and at ASLM!

Announcements

ASLM2026 Biennial Conference | Travel & Visa Guidelines

As we prepare to welcome laboratory professionals, scientists, policymakers, researchers, public health leaders, and industry partners from across Africa and beyond, we encourage all delegates to plan their travel and visa arrangements early.

📅 Conference Dates: 8–11 December 2026

📍 Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), South Africa

🛂 Travelling to South Africa? Here's What You Need to Know!

If you require a visa or e-visa to enter South Africa, begin your application process as early as possible.

✅ Check visa requirements based on your nationality and country of residence.

✅ Prepare your passport and supporting documents.

✅ Submit your visa application early, with visa-required delegates encouraged to aim for no later than 30 September 2026.

✅ Ensure your passport is valid for more than six months beyond your planned departure and has at least two unused visa pages.

✅ Use official South African government channels to confirm the requirements applicable to your circumstances.

📌 Important: ASLM2026 registration does not constitute visa approval or guarantee entry into South Africa. Visa issuance and entry decisions remain the responsibility of the relevant South African authorities. 

Travel Smarter to ASLM2026 with Emirates!

We are pleased to announce Emirates as the Travel Partner for the ASLM2026 Biennial Conference, taking place 8–11 December 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.

As laboratory professionals, scientists, policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and partners from across Africa and beyond come together in Cape Town, Emirates is helping delegates plan their journey with exclusive travel discounts.

✈️ ASLM2026 delegates can enjoy:

• Business & Economy Class: Up to 7% discount on Flex and Flex Plus fares and 5% discount on Saver fares.

• Premium Economy Class: 5% discount on Flex Plus fares. 

This partnership reflects Track 6: Partnerships, Innovation and Sustainable Impact, highlighting how strategic partnerships can create practical value for the ASLM community and support participation in Africa’s laboratory medicine and diagnostics conference.

Register for ASLM2026.

Join us in Cape Town from 8–11 December 2026 for four days of scientific exchange, collaboration, and dialogue under the theme: “Integrated Diagnostics for Health Security: Investing in Sustainable Impact.”

🎟️ Register for ASLM2026 here. 

📅 8–11 December 2026

📍 Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), South Africa

Travel to ASLM2026 with Our Official Travel Partner, Ethiopian Airlines

We are pleased to announce Ethiopian Airlines as the Official Travel Partner of the ASLM 2026 Biennial Conference, taking place 8–11 December 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.

As we bring together laboratory professionals, scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, and partners from across Africa and beyond, Ethiopian Airlines is helping make it easier for delegates to join us in Cape Town.

✈️ ASLM2026 delegates can save 15% on both Business and Economy Class fares, providing an exclusive travel benefit.

How to access the discount:

Upon registration, a unique promotional code will be made available to ASLM2026 registered participants, which can be applied when booking their flight with Ethiopian Airlines to access the exclusive 15% discount.

This partnership reflects the spirit of Track 6: Partnerships, Innovation and Sustainable Impact, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can create practical value for the ASLM community while extending the reach and visibility of the conference to new audiences.

Whether you are a long-standing member of the ASLM community or discovering ASLM for the first time, we look forward to welcoming you to ASLM2026.

For more enquiries and information on the exclusive ASLM2026 travel offer, click here.

Read the Special Issue of the LabVoice Newsletter

This special issue of LabVoice explores what happens when years of sustained investment and preparation are put to the test during a real public health emergency.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo responds to its latest outbreak, Africa’s laboratory systems, many of which were originally established to address other diseases, have been tested in real time. In this edition, we follow the story from a continent-wide readiness assessment that accurately identified key strengths and gaps to the deployment of mobile laboratories that reduced turnaround times from five days to just six hours in underserved communities.

We also examine the ongoing evaluation of point-of-care diagnostic technologies aimed at further decentralizing testing and expanding access to timely results. We conclude with ASLM’s recommendation for ISO 9001:2015 certification, highlighting the importance of ensuring that the systems supporting Africa’s laboratory networks uphold the same standards of quality, readiness, and continuous improvement expected across the field.

Click to download the full issue here.

Newest ASLM Resources

• LabCoP ECHO session videos and presentations

RFP Opportunities

• RFP for Provision of Legal Service to ASLM

Publications

African Journal of Laboratory Medicine (AJLM)

Original Research

• Differential expression of cyclin D1 in pituitary neuroendocrine tumours: Relation to aggressive potential, Kasiemobi E. Uchime, et al.

• Additional sex combs-like 1 variants in an acute myeloid leukaemia and a general elderly cohort in central South Africa, Melissa V. Bergman, et al.

• Implementing laboratory quality management systems in Ghana: A quality audit of accreditation readiness in clinical and public health laboratories (2021–2023), Emma E. Kploanyi, et al.

• Impaired clinical, biological, and cytokine patterns in HIV-1 exposed uninfected newborns in Yaoundé: A comparative study of neonatal immune vulnerability, Sabine A. Touangnou-Chamda

• Alarming resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems among Enterobacterales colonising pregnant women and neonates in eastern DRC, Elias Chipofya

Review Article

• Systematic review on genomic insights into antimicrobial resistance in ESKAPE pathogens, Husna F. Ibrahim, et al

AJLM is open access

No fees for authors or readers

ASLM Podcast Series

• Catch our latest episode of the ASLM podcast series, as discussions focused on the Regional Biosafety and Biosecurity Professional Training Programme and its role in strengthening health security across Africa. Watch the episode. Watch the episode here!

Quick Links

• ASLM Membership - Register Now!



• ASLM Academy

• ASLM Resources

• African Journal for Laboratory Medicine

• Contact Us

ASLM News Articles



• Advancing Biosafety and Biosecurity Capacity Through Biorisk Management Training in Northern Africa

• WHO Launches a Practical QMS Toolkit for Multi-Disease Testing in Non-Lab Settings

• Africa CDC and ASLM Convene Experts in Kigali to Strengthen Biosafety and Biosecurity Across Africa

• WAHO and ASLM Convene Laboratory Leaders in Senegal to Strengthen Quality Management and Accreditation Readiness

LabCoP Recipe Cookbook 10

• The ASLM LabCoP Recipe Cookbook 10 is here!

Resources

• Download the Policy Brief on Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and Paediatric HIV Case-Finding here!

Labvoice Newsletter

• The LabVoice Newsletter Issue 03 is here!

Social Media

• The ASLM team engaged key laboratory regulatory and professional bodies in Kenya to strengthen collaboration and advance the laboratory profession.

• As part of the ASLM2026 Ambassador Challenge, Jia Duke Dondo, an ASLM Ambassador representing North Central Nigeria, Benue State, is championing the importance of timely, reliable, and accessible diagnostics in communities.

• Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities Are Open for ASLM2026!

• What's New at ASLM? Discover the August edition of the Monthly Newsletter!

• The LabVoice Special Edition is here!

• ASLM’s journey towards ISO 9001:2015 certification marks an important milestone in the organisation’s continued commitment to quality.

• ASLM was pleased to participate in the World One Health Congress, held from 4–7 September 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal

• Senegal is emerging as a key leader in genomic surveillance in West Africa. At the heart of this progress is the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, a long-standing centre of excellence that has significantly expanded its sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities through Africa PGI

• The 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda highlights the urgent need for diagnostic solutions that can reach remote and high-risk communities.

• Africa CDC, in collaboration with ASLM, convened 23 experts from 10 African countries for the Certified Africa Region Subject Matter Expert (Af-RSME) On-Boarding Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda

• WAHO, in collaboration with ASLM and partners, is convening a Management and Leadership Training Workshop on Quality Management Systems (QMS) in Saly, Senegal

• We are pleased to announce Ethiopian Airlines as the Official Travel Partner of the ASLM2026 Biennial Conference, taking place 8–11 December 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa!

• ASLM2026 Biennial Conference Travel & Visa Guidelines

• Africa CDC, with ASLM and the Institut Pasteur d'Algérie (IPA), convened 15 participants from seven Northern African Member States for a five-day Biorisk Management (BRM) Level 1 Certification Training

• Africa CDC, in collaboration with ASLM and Institut Pasteur d'Algérie (IPA), is convening a Biological Waste Management Level 1 Training

• ASLM is proud to recognize Jiar Duke Dondo, ASLM Ambassador and Team Lead of the Veren Health and Wellness Initiative, for leading a student-focused health workshop at Benue State University, Makurdi

• With the support of Africa CDC and ASLM, Africa PGI is strengthening the Institut Pasteur du Maroc’s capacity in pathogen research, diagnosis, and genomic sequencing, while supporting the integration of genomic data into national disease surveillance

• ASLM is honoured and humbled to have collaborated with Itad, the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Fleming Fund, and key regional partners on this landmark publication: "Making the economic case: the value of investing in AMR surveillance."

Upcoming Events

• Training of Trainers (ToT) on Method Validation, Verification, and Measurement of Uncertainty

• ASLM2026 Conference

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