National Virus Reference Laboratory
{{short description|Irish national laboratory}}
{{Infobox Government agency
|agency_name = National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL)
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|jurisdiction = Ireland
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|chief1_name = Dr Cillian de Gascun
|chief1_position = Director
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|website = [https://nvrl.ucd.ie Official website]
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The National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) is located in UCD, Dublin, Ireland and is affiliated to the University College Dublin School of Medicine. The NVRL provides a diagnostic and reference service for clinicians in Ireland investigating viral infections. For over forty years, the NVRL have provided a virology diagnostic service to the Irish health service.
The laboratory is accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) to undertake testing as detailed in the Schedule bearing the Registration Number 326MT, in compliance with the International Standard ISO/IEC 15189:2012 3rd Edition “Medical laboratories - Requirements for quality and competence.”{{cite web |url=https://researchrepository.ucd.ie/handle/10197/7766 |title= UCD National Virus Reference Laboratory |publisher= UCD|accessdate=19 April 2020}}
History
The NVRL was initial established to support the diagnosis and treatment of poliovirus.{{cite web |url=http://iacs.ie/profile_virology.html |title= Clinical scientists participate in and oversee the development and implementation of infectious disease detection, result reporting and interpretation |publisher= IACS|accessdate=20 April 2020}}
COVID-19
The developing and delivering of testing of Ireland was led by the staff in NVRL. With the acquisition of the sequence of the virus, they used this to develop and validate in-house assays in advance of obtaining any commercial diagnostic kits. The NVRL played a vital role in the early detection of COVID-19 cases in Ireland.{{cite web |url=https://acslm.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Covid-19-Statement.pdf |title= Academy Statement Regarding Covid-19 |publisher= AMLS|accessdate=20 April 2020}}
Dr Cillian de Gascun, Consultant Virologist and Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory is Chair of the Expert Advisory Group on COVID-19 in Ireland.{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/coronavirus-lockdown-steps-could-remain-into-winter-says-expert-1.4221164|title=Coronavirus lockdown steps could remain into winter, says expert |location=Dublin| date=4 April 2020|publisher=The Irish Times|accessdate=20 April 2020}}
Influenza
NVRL is the WHO-recognised National Influenza Centre (NIC) for the Republic of Ireland.{{cite web |url=https://nvrl.ucd.ie/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/UCD%20NVRL%202017%20Annual%20Report.pdf |title= UCD National Virus Reference Lab Annual Report 2017 |publisher= NVRL UCD|accessdate=19 April 2020}} The NVRL is a key contributor to data on seasonal influenza surveillance in Ireland. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in partnership with the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and NVRL have established a network of 60 computerised general sentinel practices who report on a weekly basis the number of patients seen with influenza-like illness. {{cite web |url=https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/influenza/seasonalinfluenza/surveillance/ |title= Influenza surveillance |publisher= HPSC|accessdate=20 April 2020}}
HIV
The NVRL performs confirmatory testing on all new HIV diagnoses in Ireland.{{cite web |url=https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/acute-hospitals-division/woman-infants/national-reports-on-womens-health/monitoring-hiv-in-ireland.pdf |title= Monitoring Recent HIV Infection in Ireland, 2017 |publisher= HPSC|accessdate=20 April 2020}}
References
{{reflist|1}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://nvrl.ucd.ie}}
Category:Medical and health organisations based in the Republic of Ireland