The Dedicated Lab Staff of UF-EPI Haiti Lab 1-Gressier

     Yesterday was a very busy day. Our drivers brought in 28 samples from the various collection sites. Dozens of Petri dishes were prepared and the lab staff set to processing all the samples. At the clinics, a stool sample from each patient is placed in two types of transport medium (Cary-Blair and BGS) and also placed in a specimen cup (with or without formalin depending on transport time). When the samples arrive at the lab, material from the Cary-Blair tube is used to inoculate five Petri dishes of different kinds of culture medium (the sample is streaked out onto the surface of the Petri dish).  Two additional types of medium are inoculated from the BGS tube. Then one tube of enrichment broth is inoculated from Cary-Blair and one tube from BGS. Finally, the stool sample itself is processed for microscopy to look for parasite eggs and worms. So for each sample we receive, the technicians inoculate seven Petri dishes, two tubes of broth, and prepare a slide for microscopy. Yesterday they had 28 samples so that means they streaked almost 200 Petri dishes and inoculated 56 tubes of broth and examined 28 microscope slides.

     Meer trained the Haitian technicians who work in the lab. Benoit, Medjina, and Diony, Tabita (a community health worker), and Dickens (a trainee). They are good. They are dedicated. They worked diligently through the afternoon and into the early evening. At 5 pm, they were still here. At 6 pm, Meer and I went to the dining hall for dinner.  Meer had three plates of food prepared for his technicians, the ones who live in Port-au-Prince. He called over to the lab and told them to come over to eat when they were finished in the lab. After they ate, the technicians would then walk about 20 minutes (in the dark) out to the main road where they would catch a tap tap back to PAP. It’s a long day but the technicians are willing to work the extra hours to get the job done because they understand what we are doing and why it is important. We are doing good work here and Meer can be proud of the people he has trained.

Tabita, Dickens, Makendy (our driver), Diony, and Medjina

Tabita, Dickens, Benoit, Makendy, Medjina, and Diony

Meer at his desk in the lab

     Meer and I have talked about trying to organize a small workshop and invite the nurses and doctors who are collecting the samples for us. We could have them visit the lab and give them a short presentation of the project and the results so far. Maybe if we had some money, we could even provide a lunch. It would be good public relations and help raise the visibility of the lab.  There is so much potential here. Meer’s success with the lab and his technicians has shown us what can be accomplished. Now we need to expand our reach and do even more. UF-EPI Haiti Lab 1-Gressier is just the first step. Baradères will be UF-EPI Haiti Lab 2. I can’t wait to get that lab set up and working.