Polio Environmental Surveillance site visit and Finding sharing and way forward meeting with Provincial Stakeholders and visit to Rota Surveillance Site at Nepalgunj.
Day : 14 to 15 May, 2025
Place of Visit : Nepalgunj, Lumbini Province
On May 14–15, 2025, the National Influenza Center at NPHL, with support from WHO Nepal, conducted an onsite monitoring and orientation workshop for the National Integrated Influenza–SARS-CoV-2 and RSV Surveillance Network (NISN) at Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj - sentinel site of NPHL.
The workshop was led by Dr Ranjan Raj Bhatta, Director of NPHL, with active participation from Dr Nirajan Subedi, Director of Bheri Hospital, along with key stakeholders from the surveillance network. Discussions focused on strengthening surveillance operations, enhancing coordination, and addressing site-level challenges.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to improving integrated surveillance and aligning efforts with the objectives of the PIP Framework’s HLIP III (2024–2030) for better pandemic preparedness and response.
National Public Health Laboratory Ministry of Health and Population Nepal, becomes the third country to launch a National Essential In Vitro Diagnostics List and upgrades its health security infrastructure with WHO support.
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#Emergencies
माननीय मन्त्रि ज्यु, श्रीमान सचिप ज्यु र श्रीमान महानिर्देशक ज्यु को समूपस्थितिमा माननीय मन्त्रीज्युबाट मिति २०८२/०१/२५ गते यस
प्रयोगशालामा NEIDL को सार्बजनिकरण तथा High Containment Laboratory Unit को उद्घाटन समारोह सम्पन्न भयो । सोहि कार्यक्रममा Pandemic Fund अन्तर्गत प्राप्त Equipment हरु पनि NPHL लाई हस्तान्तरण भयो।
On April 16-17, 2025, NIC-NPHL, with WHO Nepal’s support, conducted an onsite monitoring and orientation workshop for the National Integrated Influenza–SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance Network (NISN) in Koshi Province.
Activities included site visits to Koshi Hospital (Sentinel Site) and PPHL Koshi (Testing Site) to assess surveillance systems, identify key challenges, and discuss strategies for enhanced influenza surveillance. Discussions focused on strengthening surveillance program through effective collaboration and stakeholder communication. The visit also evaluated NISN workflows, including case identification, sample collection, and reporting, with findings documented for further improvements.
Dr Ranjan Raj Bhatta, director of NPHL, led the workshop, joined by key stakeholders, including Dr. Runa Jha (Chief Medical Superintendent of Koshi hospital ) and her team, as well as Prakash Chandra Karki (PPHL Director) and his team. Participants committed to addressing identified challenges and enhancing coordination for a more effective and integrated surveillance system.
This initiative is in line with the pandemic influenza preparedness framework in line with the global influenza program.
On March 30, 2025, a successful multisectoral stakeholders' consultative workshop on Avian Influenza Surveillance in the human population was held, organized by NPHL with WHO Nepal’s support. Key stakeholders participated from EDCD, DLS, CVL, and NPHL. Major discussions were on the surveillance framework by NPHL, sentinel site identification by EDCD, ongoing surveillance updates from CVL, and a proposed concept note for enhanced coordination and data sharing. A major outcome was strengthening collaboration between human and animal health laboratories to improve surveillance, aligning with the PIP Framework’s HLIP III (2024–2030), Global Influenza Strategy, and NISN capacity-building goals. This initiative supports IHR JEE’s priority actions for enhancing national laboratory and surveillance systems through a One Health approach.
On March 26–27, 2025, NIC-NPHL, with WHO Nepal’s support, conducted an onsite monitoring and orientation workshop for the National Integrated Influenza–SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance Network (NISN) in Gandaki Province.
Activities included site visits to Manipal Teaching Hospital (Sentinel Site) and PPHL Gandaki (Testing Site) to assess surveillance systems, identify key challenges, and discuss strategies for enhanced influenza surveillance. Discussions focused on strengthening public-private partnerships through effective collaboration and stakeholder communication. The visit also evaluated NISN workflows, including case identification, sample collection, and reporting, with findings documented for further improvements.
Ms. Lilee Shrestha, Chief of the Infectious Disease Unit at NPHL, led the workshop, joined by key stakeholders, including Dr. Abhishek Maskey (Hospital Director) and his team, as well as Manmohan Mishra (PPHL Director) and his team. Participants committed to addressing identified challenges and enhancing coordination for a more effective and integrated surveillance system.
This initiative is in line with the pandemic influenza preparedness framework in line with the global influenza program.
On March 10–11, 2025, the National Influenza Center–NPHL, conducted an onsite monitoring and orientation workshop for the National Integrated Influenza,SARS-CoV-2 and RSV Surveillance Network (NISN) in Karnali Province, with WHO Nepal’s technical and financial support.
Onsite activities included a site visit to Province Hospital Surkhet (Sentinel Site) to assess hospital records for possible SARI case identification and to advocate for flu burden estimation.
Medical and pediatric departments (General Ward, HDU, ICU, NICU, PICU) were visited to identify possible SARI cases, viz, URTI, LRTI, pneumonia, and bronchitis. The team reviewed and evaluated NISN’s case identification, sample collection, and reporting workflow. Coordination with clinicians, nurses, lab personnel, and records staff aimed to enhance surveillance, followed by a debriefing with hospital leadership on key findings and follow-up actions. At PPHL Karnali (Testing Site), assessments covered infrastructure, logistics, quality, and biosafety, with findings recorded in the digital platform.
On day two, NPHL Director Dr. Ranjan Raj Bhatta led the orientation workshop with key dignitaries, including Dr. Rabin Khadka (Provincial Health Directorate), Dr. Keshar Dhakal (Hospital Director), and Mr. Kalam Thapa (PPHL Director).
Key achievements of the workshop included commitments from the sentinel and testing sites, under the co-leadership of NPHL and PHD, to enhance coordination among physicians, nursing supervisors, and NISN focal labs for improved SARI case identification and data accuracy using the digital platform, SORMAS. The nursing supervisor consequently sensitized the nursing team to explore operational methodologies for flu burden estimation. The PHD Director emphasized the need surveilance outputs for evidence based decision and policy making to enhance pareparedness and the need of multisectoral collaboration for timely diagnostics and response, referencing the recent influenza outbreak in Kalikot.
The PPHL Director highlighted the need for transportation tools and reagent availability for robust diagnostics.
The hospital director acknowledged the impact of collaborative surveillance, noting NISN’s best practices which has been recognized at national and global levels.
Director NPHL, concluded by reaffirming NIC-NPHL’s commitment to strengthening national surveillance, supporting new initiatives in 2025, in alignment with the Global Influenza Program under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness framework.
Published ✔️
A case report on dried rhododendron flower ingestion presenting with bradycardia and hypotension.
#article#casereport#journal#bmc
https://t.co/bYR4BR3bYp