The Central Laboratory of Suriname’s Bureau of Public Health (BOG-CL) has gained WHO recognition as a National Influenza Centre (NIC) and in so doing joins the network of laboratories that form the backbone of the WHO's Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). We asked Mr. Merril Wongsokarijo, Head of BOG-CL, how his laboratory achieved NIC status and what this achievement means for surveillance in Suriname.

How did BOG-CL get NIC status?
The BOG-CL has been recognized as a quality and competent medical laboratory by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 15189 accredited) since 2016. The official process to also become an NIC began a year later, in July 2017, when the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) nominated us at the request of our Ministry of Health. Since then, we have been through a rigorous programme of capacity building and skills strengthening, which included a combination of on- and off-site training by FIOCRUZ (a collaborating NIC in Brazil) and PAHO in key areas such as influenza molecular diagnostics, biosafety and biosecurity, sample shipping and rapid response. Our laboratory staff also attended the regional surveillance meeting, SARINet, and other laboratory training workshops. And using funds from the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework Partnership Contribution (PIP PC), PAHO procured a real-time thermocycler for us. By February 2020, when PAHO did the final official NIC evaluation BOG-CL, we were ready and we passed with flying colours. 

Why is this achievement important?
This achievement marks a major milestone in influenza surveillance for Suriname. It enables us to share critical virologic data and samples on a global scale through the GISRS network. Being part of the network will not only facilitate our participation in global influenza surveillance, it will also open the door for crucial collaborations to boost our own country’s laboratory network development. Achieving NIC status will enhance our national capacity for influenza diagnostics and may even enable us to expand molecular testing for other respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.  

As a NIC, you’ll be reporting influenza data to the global platform. Will this help you to report COVID-19 data too?
Since 2017, we have been consistent and timely in reporting our influenza data through PAHO’s platform, PAHO Flu. It is much easier to expand an existing platform than build one from scratch, and having PAHO Flu on hand means it is much easier for us to incorporate COVID-19 data. We already know how to use the system so we can, and are, uploading data quickly and easily, with minimal delay. 

What is the next step for BOG-CL?
Suriname is committed to implementing the International Health Regulations (IHR), and BOG-CL, in its NIC capacity, will support this endeavour by reporting unusual events to WHO though IHR official channels, as required. We are also looking to expand the scope of our ISO 15189 accreditation in 2020 to include influenza, which means that our influenza testing going forward will also be ISO 15189 accredited.