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A technical advisory mission of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) was organized in Turkmenistan from December 2 to 11, 2024.

The visit of WHO/Europe influenza virus sequencing consultants Dr. Andrey Komissarov and Artyom Fadeev was aimed at strengthening laboratory capacity for influenza virus sequencing in Turkmenistan.

They conducted a training course for laboratory specialists of the Virological Reference Laboratory of the Center for Public Health and Nutrition- National Influenza Center (NCG) on sequencing next-generation influenza viruses using the Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) platform.

Participants familiarized themselves with the data submission processes in the Global Initiative for the Exchange of All Influenza Data (GISAID). They also learned how to manage bioinformatic data (assembling sequence data by agreement from read source sequences and evaluating the quality of the sequencing data obtained, including transferring data from MinION Mk1C, running QC, subtracting alignment for reference, visualization, statistical data, and consensus sequencing).

The mission also provided advisory and technical support and provided recommendations to the National Influenza Center on strengthening laboratory surveillance in the field of sequencing of respiratory viruses. Dr. Komissarov and Fadeev provided valuable recommendations for improving the sequencing and bioinformatics infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability and effectiveness in the field of viral surveillance.

The training took place as part of the Implementation Plan for the Partnership Contribution to Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP), Laboratory and Surveillance component, and marked an important milestone in strengthening the country's public health infrastructure and preparedness for new respiratory viruses.

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Photo: provided by the WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan