DOH Quezon receives portable laboratory kit for outbreak investigation

DOH CALABARZON Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo during the Hand Over of Portable Laboratory Kits held at the RITM Auditorium At Filin...

DOH CALABARZON Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo during the Hand Over of Portable Laboratory Kits held at the RITM Auditorium At Filinvest City, Alabang recently.

Department of Health (DOH) – CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo together with other regional directors of the department received a portable laboratory from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) that will be used for outbreak investigation in the community.

“This lab kit will ensure the proper collection, packaging and transport while observing biosafety in the field and enhancing data collection and reporting an outbreak. It can also be used in strengthening surveillance systems which can detect bio threat events for public health of international concern,” Director Eduardo C. Janairo stated during his message at the RITM Auditorium on August 29, 2018.

“With this equipment, our epidemiologist can now provide early detection, confirmation and prevention of deadly pathogens including the development of laboratory test and treatment and management of patients within in the area of concern without sending the laboratory samples to RITM and waiting for results,” he emphasized.

The laboratory kits will be distributed to all 17 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (RESUs), Epidemiology Bureau, Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) graduates and selected Provincial and City Epidemiology and Surveillance Units.

The laboratory kits were provided by RITM and funded by the ASEAN-Canada Global Partnership Program (GPP) entitled “Strengthening Response Capabilities for Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases” which included - Building National Laboratory for Emerging Dangerous Pathogen; Improving Outbreak Investigation Capacity of the National and Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units of the DOH; and Improving Capacity of the RITM Biological Emergency Response Group to respond to biological threats as part of the multi-sectoral rapid response.

The portable laboratory kit is composed of specimen collection supplies that includes blood culture bottles, cary blair medium/stuarts transport medium, disposable storage vials and syringes, glass slides and cover slips, gloves, labels-specimen/address, masks, disposable pipette, scalpel/blade, spatula, forceps, loop holder, sharps disposal container, scissors, sleeping bag, outdoor gear, stationery, test tube racks, throat swabs, tourniquet with clip, universal transport media, vacutainer with EDTA, portable digital centrifuge and centrifuge tubes.

The field supplies includes absorbent materials, adhesive tape, alcohol swabs/bottles, android tablets with GIS, biohazard bags, calculator, flashlight with rechargeable batteries, blood glucose monitoring kit, BP apparatus, digital thermometer, digital camera, hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment, povidine iodine, portable printer, portable projector, smart watch with GPS, power banks, rechargeable lamps, rubber bands, spirit lamp/gas lighter, sterile stool container, trunk and smaller tool box, vaccine carrier with ice-packs, Ziploc plastic bags, matches, OMNI extension cord, pelican large case, plastic petridish, sealing film, 64GB digital card, 16GB Flash Drive, ZTE Pocket Wi-Fi Kit and windbreaker.

The field test kit includes rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for Dengue and viral hepatitis. It is a medical diagnostic test that is quick and easy to perform used for preliminary or emergency medical screening.

It also includes selected entomological equipment such as aspirator and flashlight for indoor and outdoor mosquito collection, droppers, strainer tray and funnel net for wells, ladle, bottles to keep larvae and vector dissection equipment. It is complemented with essential forms and reference documents used for investigation and incident reporting.