Guidelines on establishment of virology laboratory in developing countries

Abstract

Laboratories play a critical role in the surveillance, diagnosis and monitoring of viral disease. Establishment of a reliable viral laboratory is a prerequisite for a strong public health response to emerging viral diseases. These guidelines provide the minimum requirements for establishing a national virology laboratory and cover key aspects of physical infrastructure, human resources, technologies and quality systems. The guidelines should be of use to policy-makers and laboratory directors in the developing countries in establishing virology laboratories in their respective countries, thus enhancing national self-reliance in this area.