WATER LAB

SWAP has a modern well equipped and sustainable water quality lab established in 2007 offering certified laboratory services. The lab’s key mandate is on water testing and analysis, both bacteriological and full chemical. The technology for bacteriological analysis is membrane filtration and quantitray techniques (IDEXX methods). For chemical analysis we are using HACH methods through the spectrophotometer which can test up to 180 parameters.

Quarterly water quality testing is done for our solar powered water disinfection units. The lab is an essential asset for local, national and global research partners enabling them to evaluate WASH products, innovations and technologies. One of these technologies is the STREAM chlorine generator which is producing 0.5 % of sodium hypochlorite using electricity, water and salt. This is essential for infection prevention and control and is installed at health care facilities.

SWAP’s water lab is frequently used for diseases surveillance by the Ministry of Health. This became essential during cholera outbreaks where SWAP assisted to identify the contaminated water sources.  

SWAP has worked in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago to do COVID-19 waste water based epidemiology which has supported scientists and county department of health to provide advisories and plan for preventive COVID-19 interventions and surveillance. The technology used is qPCR testing which also enabled the lab to test other parameters in waste water. SWAP participated in waste water based epidemiology research for Malaria with KEMRI Center for Global Health Research.

SWAP received Kenya Bureau of Standards approval for the production, distribution and monitoring of alcohol-based hand rub and liquid soap which supported the COVID-19 response at health care facilities, community hot spot areas and schools. These products are also sold through social marketing by community health promoters and to WASH partners responding to flood, COVID-19, cholera among other disease outbreaks.  SWAP’s lab team has offered their expertise and consulting services for various health partner’s and research institutions country wide. The lab is a training hub for local and international students. The research at the water lab has contributed to several publications in international peer reviewed journals with findings shared at Regional, National and International forums.

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PARASITOLOGY LAB

In 2017 we opened a Parasitology Laboratory to support research.  Since then, we have been offering over 7 years of progressive technical expertise in Human Health Research in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and WASH surveys. We work collaboratively and in partnership with key stakeholders such as Centre for Disease Control and Prevention-Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (CDC-DPDM), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education Both at National and Regional levels. We have demonstrated experience in Laboratory Management and Diagnostics Methodologies/Assays e.g., Parasitological, Immunological/Molecular, Biochemistry on Blood, Urine, and Stool Samples using Currently WHO recommended and validated Target Products Profiles (TPP). We have also incorporated Radiological technology e.g., Ultrasound as a method of detecting morbidities associated with Bilharzia and other Soil Transmitted Helminthes. We have a highly skilled staff who can offer capacity building trainings on various technologies open for local and international organization and students and also Consultancy assignments.