The Department of Virology of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, designated as the National Reference Laboratory for Measles and other exanthems in 2000, continues to provide support the Measles Elimination Programme by performing the laboratory confirmation of suspect cases identified in the surveillance activities. It obtained the World Health Organization (WHO) recognition as the National Measles Laboratory in 2001.The Department has been fully accredited by WHO since 2011 as the National Measles Laboratory based on findings of the WHO-WPRO Accreditation Team.

The laboratory has been fully accredited by WHO as National Measles Laboratory since 2008. It regularly receives proficiency panel as part of External Quality Assessment and participates in the annual on-site review as part of the WHO accreditation. The NML receives financial and technical assistance from WHO-WPRO Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network.