Muscat – Oman’s National Polio Laboratory has achieved a 100% score in the World Health Organization (WHO) virus isolation proficiency test, reaffirming its technical competence in poliovirus surveillance and diagnosis.

The achievement was recognised by Dr Asmus Hammerich, WHO Representative in Oman, in a congratulatory message to H E Dr Hilal bin Ali bin Hilal Al Sabti, Minister of Health.

The annual WHO proficiency testing programme assesses the performance of polio reference laboratories worldwide and supports international efforts to eradicate the disease.

Dr Hanan bint Salim Al Kindiyah, Senior Consultant Virologist and Director of the Central Public Health Laboratory, said the National Polio Laboratory continues to fulfil its national and regional responsibilities in poliovirus surveillance and diagnosis.

She said its performance reflects more than four decades of experience, advanced technical capabilities and sustained success in WHO-organised proficiency assessments.

The laboratory was accredited within the WHO polio laboratory network in the 1980s. It initially focused on poliovirus culture and isolation before introducing molecular testing for virus identification and genetic characterisation in the 1990s.

Its capabilities were further expanded to include poliovirus genetic sequencing. The laboratory team underwent WHO training in the technology in 2017 and, after introducing the test into its diagnostic services, achieved a 100% score in genetic sequencing proficiency assessments the following year.

The laboratory is also designated as a regional reference laboratory within the WHO network. It supports polio surveillance and response programmes in several countries, including by testing samples from acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases from Oman, other Gulf states and Yemen.

Rahma bint Mohammed bin Hamad Al Shakaili, a laboratory technician, said the facility plays an important role in supporting responses to polio outbreaks in Yemen through diagnostic testing and viral genetic characterisation.

In 2020, its capabilities contributed to the detection of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses, including cVDPV1 and cVDPV2, while genetic data supported epidemiological investigations and outbreak responses.

The laboratory also recorded a 100% score in the 2022 WHO polio laboratory proficiency assessment across all programme requirements.

In 2025, Oman further strengthened early virus detection with the opening of an advanced laboratory for poliovirus environmental surveillance in Muscat. Established in collaboration with the WHO and partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the facility enables wastewater samples to be tested for poliovirus, strengthening surveillance and supporting early detection even in the absence of clinical cases.