Japan aid boosts lab capacity to track poliovirus

Published February 22, 2020
The grant has helped procure essential molecular-biology equipment for the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio. — AFP/File
The grant has helped procure essential molecular-biology equipment for the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio in Pakistan has now become one of the largest and best surveillance networks in the world after being upgraded with a grant of $3.3 million provided by the Japanese government.

The Japanese support will boost Pakistan’s capacity to swiftly track and respond to the poliovirus.

The grant has helped procure essential molecular-biology equipment for the laboratory, including genetic analysers, real-time thermal cylinders, incubators and freezers. The grant also helped replace aging stocks of cold chain materials, reagents and other essential equipment.

The laboratory currently tests more than 30,000 stool samples and 950 environmental samples for polio a year from Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of global efforts to end virus circulation in both polio endemic nations.

Representatives from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, the Japanese government, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) handed over the new equipment during a ceremony at the National Institute for Health (NIH) here on Friday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik said that the Japanese support had been vital to Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate polio.

Recent enhancement to the Regional Reference Laboratory (RRL) will further increase Pakistan’s capacity to effectively tackle the associated risks in timely manner, he added.

JICA president Dr Kitaoka Shinichi expressed gratitude that the Japanese assistance was being utilised effectively in the Regional Reference Laboratory.

“We have been supporting the Polio Eradication Programme for almost 25 years; currently, the programme is going through a very critical and important transformation, and JICA will continue support towards untiring efforts of the Pakistani government,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of Japan Matsuda Kuninori said that the Japanese government was committed to assisting the Pakistan government in its goal of eradicating polio and added that Japan had provided $229 million in total aid to Pakistan for polio eradication since 1996.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.