SARInet plus Laboratory Regional Meeting 2025: PAHO and laboratories in the Americas reaffirm regional cooperation in respiratory virus surveillance

Brasilia, November 5, 2025 (PAHO) - The Regional Meeting of Laboratories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Network (SARInet plus ) was held with the aim of strengthening technical cooperation, the exchange of experiences, and regional integration in respiratory virus surveillance. The meeting, organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), brought together 29 representatives from laboratories belonging to the National Influenza Centers (NICs) and National Reference Laboratories of 25 countries in the Americas, marking the first in-person meeting of network laboratories since 2019, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening of the meeting was attended by Dr. Karen Gomes, from the General Coordination of Public Health Laboratories of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, who welcomed participants on behalf of the national authorities and stressed the importance of integrated surveillance and rapid response capacity for the early detection of zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential. Representing PAHO in Brazil, Dr. Alexandre Rosewell highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the essential role of strengthened laboratories for virological surveillance and integration with epidemiological and clinical surveillance as a basis for protecting public health. Finally, Dr. Andrea Vicari, head of PAHO's Infectious Hazards Management Unit, emphasized that SARInet plus has established itself as a pillar of regional cooperation, based on trust, joint work, and virological and genomic surveillance in the Americas.

Over the course of three days, the technical meeting addressed five thematic sessions. The first reinforced the global guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the responsibilities of National Influenza Centers in respiratory surveillance. The following sessions delved into integrated virological surveillance of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as the presentation of the results of the External Quality Assessment Program (EQAP) 2024, in which the Region of the Americas achieved a performance of 95.1%. In addition, NICs were invited to share their experiences in virological surveillance of respiratory viruses, creating a space for discussion and knowledge exchange.

The meeting was also attended by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COSMICA), which presented the progress made in surveillance in the Caribbean and Central American subregion, reaffirming their commitment to work collaboratively under a common vision with PAHO.

Another session focused on intersectoral preparedness and response to zoonotic influenza, where national experiences with avian influenza outbreaks were shared and the use of the Framework for Intersectoral Coordination and Preparedness for Zoonotic Influenza (CIPCIZA) was highlighted. As part of the practical component, participants conducted a technical simulation exercise that presented a scenario of detection of a suspected case of influenza A (H5N1), with the aim of strengthening response and coordination capacities among sectors.

In the session dedicated to genomic surveillance, the region's progress in uploading and analyzing genomic data through the GISAID platform, used as a global repository and reference, was presented. The Genomic Cost tool, developed by WHO, was also highlighted. This tool allows for the evaluation of costs associated with sequencing and strengthens strategic capacity planning in national laboratories for sustained genomic surveillance.

As part of the innovations presented, Dr. Juliana Leite of PAHO introduced the Virtual Reality Laboratory, an immersive experience developed as part of PAHO's preparedness and response program. This tool allows users to take a virtual tour of a molecular biology laboratory at a National Influenza Center, access recommended workflows, consult diagnostic algorithms, quality and biosafety manuals, technical protocols, and International Health Regulations (IHR) documents. It also promotes interactive and collaborative learning among professionals in the network.