The Central Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Oman, hosted the WHO subregional training on the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique for diagnosis and detection of novel coronavirus from 24 to 26 June 2013.
WHO organized this training in close collaboration with Oman, due to the importance of ensuring quality laboratory diagnosis due to the emergence a novel coronavirus, now named the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
Ten participants from Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, occupied Palestinian territory and Tunisia were trained on quality management system and general safety requirements for the laboratory, establishing purchasing system and steps required to implement an inventory control programme. Experts from the Ministry of Health, Oman WHO Regional Office of the Eastern Mediterranean Region and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, facilitated the training.