Malaysia’s Measles and Rubella Laboratories Awarded WHO Accreditation: 2023 – 2024

Malaysia is making efforts to control the measles outbreak and eliminate measles and rubella by 2030!

The WHO has recently accredited Malaysia's national and sub-national laboratories during 2023-2024. This is a testament to Malaysia's continued commitment to strengthen laboratory systems and in maintaining high standards in the measles, rubella elimination programme.

In the fight against measles and rubella, a robust case-based surveillance system is crucial, with laboratory confirmation. Each suspected case must undergo laboratory testing to confirm or exclude it as a non-measles, non-rubella case. As other diseases can cause similar clinical symptoms of fever and rash, accurate laboratory tests maintaining standards are crucial. High-quality laboratory investigations will enable a better understanding of the disease burden and reflect the impact of the measles-rubella vaccination program in country.

Accreditation Process and Criteria

To ensure laboratories meet international standards, the WHO conducts a thorough audit. This audit covers everything from logistics and testing procedures to the quality of equipment, staff adequacy and plans for capacity building. The accreditation process was conducted in three phases for national and sub national laboratories:

1. February 2023: National Public Health Laboratory in Selangor
2. March 2023: Public Health Laboratories in Perak and Sabah
3. May 2024: Public Health Laboratories in Kelantan and Johor

^{The accreditation process involved an audit of various standards of practice in the laboratories Source: NPHL, MOH}

The laboratories were audited across several essential areas:

• Experienced Staff: Ensuring that laboratories have trained and experienced personnel
• Facilities and Equipment: Adequate space and well-maintained equipment are essential
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Written SOPs for all testing procedures for case detection
• Quality Control: Regular calibration and servicing of equipment, and availability of necessary supplies
• Training and Meetings: Ongoing staff trainings and regular meetings to address any issues and problem solving for sustainable procedures and to maintain standards
• Connectivity and Case Tracking: Efficient communication with clinicians and a robust case tracking system with linking of patient and sample, including tracking at all stages
• Molecular Detection Capacity: Laboratories must be capable of molecular detection and undergo regular extensive reviews

^{Continued collaboration between WHO and MOH will enable strengthening capacities for prevention and control of measles and rubella Source: NPHL, MOH}

Throughout this journey, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region and the WHO country office in Malaysia worked closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) officials from the National Public Health Laboratory and Subnational Laboratories accredited. This collaboration ensured that the accreditation process was thorough and effective. The main objective was to confirm that the laboratory's performance and practices met with the expected WHO standards and were resilient in the face of challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive Outcomes & Looking Ahead

The evaluation confirmed that Malaysia's measles and rubella laboratories were performing at a high level, with timely and accurate reporting. Sub-national laboratories have started serological testing and were building capacity for molecular detection methods. All laboratories reviewed met WHO standards in serological test performance and received the accreditation. Regional Director WHO has sent Accreditation Certificates to all laboratories reviewed, that met the WHO standards. The WHO recommends annual accreditation and looks forward to continued collaboration through on-site or virtual accreditation visits in future, to maintain these high standards.

^{Certification of accreditation}

As Malaysia continues its journey towards effectively controlling the measles outbreak and eliminating measles and rubella, the collaboration between WHO and MOH remains strong. Together, they are committed to maintaining high-quality laboratory support and achieving measles and rubella elimination targets for a better, healthier future for all Malaysians.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.