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 Polio
Eradication Programme
Network of polio laboratories in SEAR
With the help of WHO, laboratories in the Region are
carrying out polio virus isolation from cases of AFP and also from environment.
With impending polio eradication, it is envisaged that these laboratories
will take up other national programmes such as
measles and dengue control programme.
Sixteen laboratories in SEAR countries constitute the
network of polio laboratories. Of these, five serve as reference
laboratories. EQASs are currently in operation. The
coded samples prepared for the global network of laboratories by Rijksinstituut Voor Volksgezondheid en Mileu
(RIVM), Netherlands are distributed.
These laboratories are: IPH in Bangladesh; In India the
nine laboratories are: BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad;
Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute, Lucknow;
Serologists to Government of India, Kolkatta;
National Institute of Virology, Pune; Pasteur
Institute of India, Coonoor; King Institute of
Preventive Medicine, Chennai; National Institute of Communicable Diseases,
Delhi; Entro-virus Research Centre, Mumbai and
Central Research Institute, Kasauli. In Indonesia, Provincial Laboratory, Surabaya; in Myanmar, National Health Laboratory, Yangon; in Sri Lanka, Medical Research
Institute, Colombo and National Institute of Health
in Bangkok. These laboratories take part in
IEQAS conducted by the Netherlands laboratory.
AIDS
Control Programme
Countries of the Region have opened HIV surveillance centres. The quality assurance programmes
of blood banks have been linked with AIDS control programmes
in most of the countries.
Realizing the need for external quality assessment programme for HIV testing laboratories including blood
banks in order to maintain the validity of HIV tests being carried out at
various levels, the programme of EQAS in HIV
testing is being instituted in all countries. In India, the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) has been identified by National AIDS
Control Organisation (NACO) as the apex institute
for initiating an EQAS in HIV testing which will act as the national
coordinator of networking. Eleven centers, viz. NICD, Delhi; AIIMS, New
Delhi; Indian Institute of Immunohaematology,
Mumbai; NICED, Calcutta; School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta; Madras
Medical College, Chennai; National AIDS Research Institute, Pune; Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal; Christian Medical College Vellore;
National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences,
Bangalore; Dr MGR Medical College, Chennai have been identified for the
implementation of the external quality assessment programmes
in their areas. The same centres have been asked to
conduct EQAS in transfusion transmitted infectious agents in blood banks for
HIV, HBsAg, and HCV by NACO.
Similar programmes have been
started in other countries of the region viz; Institute of Public Health in Dhaka, Bangladesh; National Public Health
Laboratory in Kathmandu, Nepal; Provincial Laboratory, Surabaya, Indonesia; National Health Laboratory, Yangon, Myanmar; Medical Research Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka, and National Institute of
Health, Bangkok, Thailand.
With the help of WHO, selected laboratories in the
countries of the Region are regularly participating in IEQAS in HIV serology
conducted by Australia and CPHL, London.
Tuberculosis
With the upsurge in multidrug
resistant tuberculosis in the countries of the world, especially in
association with AIDS, WHO is conducting an international IEQAS for MDR tuberculosis.
There is a network of five laboratories in India carrying out surveillance of
drug resistant tubercle bacilli in selected districts. These laboratories are
Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai; National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore; Lala
Ram Swarup TB Hospital, New Delhi; TB Centre, New Delhi and Maharashtra
Government Institute of Medical Science, Wardha.
In other countries, the participating laboratories are:
Centre Biomedis, Jakarta and Provincial laboratory, Surabaya in Indonesia; NHL, Yangon in Myanmar; MRI, Colombo in Sri Lanka; NIH Bangkok in Thailand; Centre for Epidemic Prevention,
Pyongyang in DPRK, and NPHL, Kathmandu in Nepal.
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