Support for rapid investigation of disease outbreaks in CMCs
	Support for Public Health Programmes in CMCs by strengthening technical and laboratory management skills in public and private laboratories through training and advisory services
	Advocacy for policy development in support of improved quality of laboratory services in CMCs
	Selected research in the areas of microbiology, immunology and vector management, aimed at developing appropriate technology to guide effective laboratory diagnosis in CMCs

	Vaccine preventable diseases
	Vector-borne diseases
	HIV/AIDS/STDs
	Diarrhoeal diseases including foodborne illness
	Mycobacterial diseases
	Antibiotic Resistance monitoring
	Quality Assurance

The operational areas based on the laboratory disciplines utilized in support of surveillance and control activities are supported by a laboratory management system which includes key aspects of quality assurance, laboratory safety and information systems.

Virology
Support for surveillance and control of viruses of public health importance is provided to CMCs. These include laboratory identification of vector borne diseases e.g. dengue and yellow fever, as well as diarrhoeal diseases e.g. rotavirus, etc. Support is also provided for surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases(measles, rubella, poliomyelitis) as part of the EPI programme in the Caribbean. Reference services for confirmatory testing of HIV, hepatitis and HTLV-1 are ongoing activities.

Parasitology
Studies are done on the changing patterns of human parasitisms in CMCs. In addition, appropriate methods for diagnosis of these parasitisms are developed, and training for technologists in applying these methodologies is conducted.
Diseases of public health importance supported by this section include those caused by blood parasites such as malaria, and gut parasites including a variety of worms.

Medical Entomology
This area provides support for the control of vector borne diseases (e.g. dengue, yellow fever, malaria) in CMCs. Studies are done on the biology and behaviour of blood-sucking arthropod vectors of disease in the Caribbean. Relevant methods for the management of these pests are developed and demonstrated to CMC vector management authorities.

Bacteriology
Provision of reference and referral service for common bacterial infections of public health importance in the Caribbean is the focus of this section's activity. Among the more important diseases investigated in this section are:

Enteric pathogens e.g. cholera, salmonella, shigella Mycobacterial infections e.g. tuberculosis Sexually transmitted diseases e.g. gonorrhoea Leptospirosis
Surveillance of antimicrobial patterns of susceptibility in the Caribbean is a key function of this area

Immunology
In response to emerging member country needs, this new unit provides reference services for the investigation of immunologically based diseases e.g. connective tissue diseases, SLE, as well as for the monitoring of the progression of diseases such as HIV/AIDS through provision of immunophenotyping services.

Cost recovery for laboratory services has been piloted in this area through provision of tissue typing services for organ transplants.

Standard Operating Procedure CAREC-GEN-001-05

Guidelines For Specimen Collection

CAREC Lab User Manual 2006

Controlling MRSA in a Health care setting