Polio environmental diagnostic standard mobile testing lab opened
Muscat: Acting in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health, on Thursday celebrated the opening of a mobile standard laboratory for environmental diagnostic testing of poliovirus.
The ministry was represented at the event by the Public Health Laboratories at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a speech on the occasion, Dr. Said bin Harib Al Lamki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs (the chief guest), stressed the significance of cooperation and strategic partnership between the Health Ministry and the WHO in conducting many health programmes and initiatives, including efforts to monitor and eradicate polio.
For his part, Dr. Jean Yaacoub Jabbour, WHO Representative in the Sultanate of Oman, said that the opening of the laboratory reflects the Sultanate of Oman's commitment to eradicate poliovirus worldwide. He added that Oman joined the ranks of countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region that implement environmental monitoring.
Jabbour pointed out that the laboratory not only helps in detecting poliovirus in wastewater, but also acts as an early warning system for poliovirus transmission.
Oman's Poliovirus Standard Environmental Diagnostic Laboratory is a WHO-accredited laboratory that forms part of environmental surveillance systems and detects poliovirus in environmental water samples like wastewater.
The establishment of the new lab represents a step forward in enhancing the quality of health services in the Sultanate of Oman. Its opening underlines the Health Ministry's ongoing efforts to improve diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance capabilities in a manner that improves community health.
The lab tests stool samples from children with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) or show polio-like symptoms from countries in the region.
Health laboratories constitute the cornerstone of efforts to combat infectious diseases and enhance rapid response to epidemics and health challenges. Through this project, the Ministry of Health seeks to establish a modern infrastructure equipped with the latest technologies and international standards that would provide accurate, high-quality laboratory services.
The Environmental Poliovirus Surveillance System (EPSS) is intended to enhance polio surveillance in the Sultanate of Oman. Its establishment will complement the AFP surveillance system aimed to enhance polio surveillance and ensure early detection of poliovirus in humans or the environment.
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