Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfProc7): Abstract 082 | Published: 05 Oct 2026
Ekua Thompson1,&, Bright Osei2, Daniel Baah3, Theophilus Odoom3, Simon Gbene, Emmanuel Allegye-Cudjoe5, Ebenezer Kofi Mensah4
1Ho Veterinary Laboratory, Volta Region, 2Takoradi Veterinary Laboratory, Western Region, 3Accra Veterinary Laboratory, Greater Accra Region, 4Sekondi Zonal Public Health Laboratory, Sekondi, Ghana, 5Veterinary Services Department, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Ekua Thompson, Ho Veterinary Laboratory, Volta Region, Ghana, Email: kuksthompson.kt@gmail.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 05 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
This is part of the Proceedings of the the 8th Ghana FELTP Scientific Conference and FELTP Competency Graduation, Accra, Ghana, 10 – 11 December, 2025
Keywords: Veterinary Laboratories, Emergency Preparedness, Zoonotic Pathogens, Hazards
©Ekua Thompson et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Ekua Thompson et al. Emergency preparedness and communication plan for priority zoonotic pathogens in veterinary laboratories in Ghana, 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):082. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0082
Laboratories globally play a pivotal role in disease diagnosis. The rise in emerging and neglected zoonotic diseases has increased concern for laboratory biosafety and security. Veterinary laboratories in Ghana lack a comprehensive emergency preparedness and communication plan for handling biological exposures. The study aimed at developing an emergency preparedness and communication plan for 6 priority zoonotic pathogens in Ghana. The results of the research would enhance safety in veterinary laboratories, protect the public and align with ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation compliance.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in government veterinary laboratories in Ghana from January to March 2025 to assess their awareness and response to biological exposures. We conducted a risk assessment on test processes involving the 6 priority zoonotic pathogens and administered a semi-structured questionnaire to laboratory staff to identify their exposure to biological hazards. Data was entered, cleaned and analysed using Microsoft Excel and presented in tables, graphs and charts. Results were used to develop an emergency preparedness and communication plan.
Hazards staff were exposed to out of 18 respondents were: 16/18(88.8%) inhalation/ aerosols splash 16/18 (88.8%), pricks 14/18(77.7%), and bites 3/18(16.6%). Bacteriology and Necropsy units were identified as areas of highest exposure to priority zoonotic pathogens. Seventy-two (72%) of veterinary laboratories lack documented emergency preparedness protocols for priority zoonotic pathogens. Although 67% of laboratories have developed control measures for exposure to pathogens only 22% receive support for these efforts.
Primary hazards of exposure among veterinary laboratories are aerosols and splashes, with the necropsy and bacteriology units presenting areas of highest risk. The establishment of an emergency preparedness and communication plan with focus on priority zoonotic diseases will provide essential guidelines to safeguard laboratory staff.
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