Last week, 3 of our colleagues packed a fully functioning laboratory into a set of flight cases and boarded a plane to one of the most remote islands on Earth.
Saint Helena, a UK Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic had become part of the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. When the island's government asked for help, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST), funded with UK aid by the Department of Health and Social Care, was ready.
Within 24 hours, UKHSA microbiologists Clara Milroy and Kimberley Steeds, along with infection prevention and control expert Anthony Twyman, departed for Saint Helena carrying with them a mobile laboratory capable of running PCR tests to detect the Andes hantavirus strain. They will be on the island for the next 8 weeks.
This marks the first time the UK-PHRST's rapid response mobile laboratory has been deployed for use during an active outbreak and is the culmination of years of investment in preparedness.
Deploying the mobile lab means those affected who live on Saint Helena will not have to wait for samples to travel thousands of miles for analysis. Faster results mean a clearer picture of the outbreak allowing for faster and better protection for the island's community.
Alongside the laboratory work, Anthony is working directly with Jamestown General Hospital, to help them prepare ahead of any confirmed cases. This means training clinical staff in hantavirus case management so that healthcare workers are well protected while providing care, and reducing the risk of onward spread in the wider community.
This is exactly the kind of specialised diagnostic capability that the mobile laboratory was designed to provide - deployable to wherever an emerging infectious disease outbreak occurs, however remote.
This is what rapid response looks like. We are grateful to colleagues in Saint Helena and Tenerife for working with us and sharing their expertise.