East African Community (EAC) will officially launch the Uganda Virus Research Institute as the bloc’s regional centre of excellence in virology on Wednesday in Entebbe, Uganda, according to a statement issued by the EAC headquarters in Arusha.

The centre will serve as a hub for advanced virology research, specialised laboratory training, disease surveillance, diagnostics and knowledge sharing across EAC member states, the statement said.

EAC Deputy Secretary General for Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth said on Monday that the move reflects the bloc’s commitment to enhancing regional health security through collaboration and investment in resilient laboratory systems.

The choice of Uganda was deliberate. The East African nation has in the past three decades been the receiving end of outbreaks of pandemics in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. At present Uganda is struggling to ward off the spread of Ebola that is ravaging eastern Congo.

“By investing in centres of excellence, we are building a stronger, more coordinated regional health system,” he said.

The initiative is part of the EAC’s regional laboratory network project and aligns with efforts to strengthen health systems under a One Health approach, said the statement.

The EAC is a regional intergovernmental organisation, comprising Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, to promote economic, political and social integration.

• A Tell Media / Xinhua report