At a glance
CDC has worked in Liberia since 2007 and established an office in the country in 2015. CDC works with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), and other partners to build effective public health collaboration and partnerships to prevent, detect, notify, respond to, and control global public health threats. CDC’s expertise in disease detection, outbreak investigation, laboratory systems, and emergency response makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
Key accomplishments
- Supported the NPHIL in establishing and integrating an Event-Based Surveillance unit.
- Strengthened the NPHIL and the National Public Health Reference Laboratory and provided technical assistance for the operationalization of these structures.
- Supported the training of over 400 professionals who graduated from the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP).
- Helped establish emergency operating centers (EOCs) at the national level and in all 15 counties.
- Funded a digital vaccine registry to provide Liberians with a national electronic record of their vaccine history. CDC scaled up this registry in 2025.
- Helped Liberia become one of the top three African countries to reach 80% COVID-19 vaccination coverage.
Global health security
CDC’s global health security work in Liberia increases the country’s ability to prevent, detect, notify, and respond to disease outbreaks before they become global epidemics. CDC provides expertise and support to the MOH, NPHIL, and other government institutions.
Laboratory systems and specimen transport
CDC's support to strengthen the laboratory network includes:
- Strengthening the NPHIL and the National Public Health Reference Laboratory, and providing technical assistance for decentralization of laboratory diagnostics and operationalization of these structures.
- Partnering on innovative solutions for transporting samples to remote areas.
- Training laboratory personnel in biosafety and biosecurity to evaluate and certify biological safety cabinets.
- Strengthening diagnostic capacity, laboratory quality management, and data analysis systems at national and sub-national levels.
- Supporting the transport of specimens with epidemic potential to the National Reference Laboratory via motorbike (Riders for Health) for over a decade.
Surveillance systems
CDC supports Liberia's MOH and NPHIL in strengthening surveillance systems to monitor infectious diseases. Activities include:
- Supporting the implementation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response framework.
- Establishing and integrating an Event-Based Surveillance unit within NPHIL.
- Providing direct technical assistance on data management, data analysis, and surveillance system strengthening.
- Launching the first National Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Certificate Training Program, resulting in 19 specialists graduating across all counties.
Workforce development
CDC helped launch Liberia’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) in 2015. FETP strengthens the public health workforce capacity to investigate and respond to disease outbreaks. Two levels of FETP—frontline and intermediate—train health professionals to identify and contain outbreaks before they become epidemics.
FETP provides capacity for surveillance officers who support early detection, prevention, and response. FETP graduates serve as local and national disease surveillance officers and support outbreak responses and scientific writing.
Liberia was one of the first countries to partner in the Global Laboratory Leadership Program. This program provides intensive training and mentorship to current and emerging leaders to build, strengthen, and sustain national laboratory systems.
Emergency response
CDC has established EOCs at the national level and in all 15 counties. CDC helps the EOCs strengthen coordination and communication for rapid responses during outbreaks. Liberia’s national and county EOCs have activated for endemic outbreaks and pandemic responses. These have included responses to Ebola, meningitis, Lassa Fever, COVID-19, and Monkeypox. Response activities include strengthening core capacities, such as:
- Health system surveillance, including active case finding and contact tracing.
- Laboratory systems and diagnostic capacities.
- Public health workforces, including Public Health Emergency Management Fellowships and Rapid Response Teams.
- Providing technical assistance to EOCs on emergency management and response.
Malaria
Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Liberia. CDC has collaborated with partners and the National Malaria Control Program to support implementation of malaria prevention and control activities in Liberia. CDC-supported activities have included providing technical input in:
- Implementing vector control activities, including monitoring mosquitoes and their resistance to insecticides.
- Distributing insecticide-treated bed nets.
- Strengthening malaria surveillance activities.
- Rolling out the new malaria vaccine.
Vaccine-preventable diseases
CDC works with partners to support Liberia’s efforts to reduce illness and death related to diseases that are vaccine preventable. CDC has partnered with NPHIL’s EOC to conduct polio campaigns and supplemental immunization activities needed to stop polio virus transmission.
CDC and partners assisted Liberia’s Expanded Program on Immunization in developing and implementing an electronic immunization registry nationwide.
CDC also supported routine immunization, COVID-19, and other vaccination campaign activities to increase coverage in counties with low coverage rates.
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