ABSTRACT
Introduction: Malaysia's National Polio Laboratory (NPL) has been appointed as the National Poliovirus Containment Coordinator (NPCC) in 2000 to minimize the number of facilities retaining potentially infectious materials, poliovirus (PIM). PIM is defined as respiratory, faecal, or environmental sewage samples, and derivatives such as permissible poliovirus cell culture, Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), collected for any purpose before 31 December 2020. However, all monitoring activities were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. In addition, Polio outbreaks occurred in Sabah and WP Labuan at the same time which leads to the large-scale use of OPV to respond to widespread vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) outbreaks, it could generate new PIM, which requires an update in the NPCC record database. Material(s) and Method(s): The main objective of the study is to ensure compliance of all country states to the requirement of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) by WHO by providing a database and evidence of action. As per the WHO Global Action Plan III (GAP III) guidelines, meetings and site visits were conducted with the government and non-government bodies that are keeping and handling PIM. In 2019, 588 survey forms were sent to 141 government hospitals, 6 government agencies (veterinary, fishery, chemical, research institutions), 19 major private laboratories, 209 private hospitals, and 16 public universities. Result(s): Out of the 588 facilities that received the survey forms, only 177 facilities have completed the survey. 173 facilities declared that they did not store any PIM, whilst 4 institutions had informed that they had completed inventories for their PIM storage and had discarded the identified materials accordingly. The other 411 facilities have informed the NPCC that they did not have any PIM and are still completing the survey forms. Conclusion(s): The NPCC actively adhered to the recommendation by GAP III guidelines for the containment activities by conducting national surveys, laboratory inspections, consultations, and inventories of records. Based on the findings, most of the laboratories that responded to the survey did not keep any PIM and follow the procedures as per the guideline. Continuous monitoring of PIM is required although the Polio outbreak was declared ended on 9th September 2021 in Malaysia. This study will be a reference for future planning by the ministry and authorities with regards of the Biosafety and Biosecurity regulations involving laboratories working with infectious materials.