The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) certifies shippers of infectious diseases in its first Infectious Substances Shipping Course on September 26-28, 2018 at Vivere Hotel, Muntinlupa City.

RITM shipping trainers capacitated participants from the Department of Health (DOH) Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance, DOH Sub-National Laboratories, and RITM Laboratories on international and national basis of regulations, dangerous goods classification, packing instructions, marking and labeling, documentation, security awareness, and program management.

Internationally-compliant transport containers were also provided to the attendees.

As part of its commitment to upholding international transport regulations, the RITM Biorisk Management Office and Laboratory Research Division organized and provided technical content for the event, through the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines Country Office.

This event is the culmination of efforts which began on November 2016, when Sandia National Laboratories certified select RITM staff as shipping trainers for infectious substances and related dangerous goods.

by Neil Tristan Yabut, Molecular Biology Laboratory