RITM labs to test vaccine-preventable illnesses in July

MANILA – The subnational laboratories of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) will have the capacity to test vaccine-preventable diseases – measles, rubella, Japanese encephalitis, and rotavirus this year.

In a televised Laging Handa public briefing, RITM Virology Department Head Mayan Lumandas said the RITM, the Department of Health, and the World Health Organization have established seven subnational laboratories nationwide.

These are the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center and the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in Luzon; the Vicente Sotto Medical Center and the Western Visayas Medical Center in the Visayas; the Southern Philippines Medical Center, the Zamboanga City Medical Center and the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center in Mindanao.

“So, iyong mga laboratory po magkakaroon ng kapasidad na mag-test ng apat na sakit sa pamamagitan po ng pag-analyze ng dugo (the laboratories will have the capacity to test the four diseases through analysis of blood), cerebrospinal fluid and stool,” Lumandas said.

She said laboratories with such capacity are important as they allow the government to respond to outbreaks and provide pertinent data for the National Immunization Program and campaigns about vaccine-preventable diseases.

The subnational laboratories are expected to run tests in July.