By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos—Plateau State Human Virology Research Centre, PLASVIREC, laboratory has achieved the International Organisation for Standardisation, ISO 151189, accreditation.

PLASVIREC was initiated for the implementation of HIV surveillance, collection of patients’ samples, research, testing and prevention activities in Nigeria, as well as early infant diagnosis of HIV, CD4, and viral load estimation, TB diagnosis, molecular techniques, clinical trials, cohort studies and provision of technical support/training.

With the recognition, the laboratory, a partnership with the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, IHVN; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, USA, and Plateau State Government, is now comparable to any other accredited laboratory in the world due to this recognition.

Apart from PLASVIREC, other laboratories to be so accredited are the Centre of Human Virology and Genomics at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and the APIN Centre at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH.

In her remarks in Jos, the Executive Director, International Research Centre of Excellence and Co-Founder of PLASVIREC, Professor Alash’le Abimiku, said: “The centre is a state-of-art diagnostic and research facility, that has overtime deepened its processes.”