Vietnam Hosts Regional Workshop on Xpert TB External Quality Assessment

Vietnam’s National Lung Hospital and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) co-organized the "Regional Workshop on Xpert TB External Quality Assessment" in Hanoi on September 11-12, local media reported.

The event brought together representatives from the National Tuberculosis Control Program, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, the U.S. CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Fund, and participants from regional tuberculosis reference laboratories in India, Australia, Laos, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Dr. Dinh Van Luong, director of the National Lung Hospital and head of Vietnam's National Tuberculosis Control Program, emphasized the importance of ensuring the quality of TB testing, alongside expanding the scope and number of tests. This, he said, is crucial for the early detection and effective treatment of TB cases.

He highlighted that Vietnam has become a regional hub for providing and transferring Xpert molecular test external quality assurance programs to neighboring countries.

Mr. Eric Dziuban, U.S. CDC Country Director in Vietnam, evaluated that Vietnam has adopted WHO-recommended advanced TB screening and diagnostic tools, He added that the country also carried out programs successfully to ensure reliable TB testing both within Vietnam and across the region.

The Xpert MTB/RIF test, a molecular diagnostic for tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant TB, has been recommended by the WHO since 2010 and is now used in 140 countries.

Vietnam began implementing the Xpert test in 2011, and by 2023, had conducted over 452,000 tests across 182 sites with 332 GeneXpert machines.

Vietnam has also provided external quality control samples to countries like Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea. In 2024, the National Lung Hospital continues to supply over 200 sets of quality assurance samples to Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea and offers technological support to the Philippines.

(Suc Khoe Doi Song, Chinh Sach Cuoc Song, Bao Chinh Phu, QDND, Nhan Dan)