PEF certification
In 2018 the Minister designated the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) as the National Authority for Containment (NAC). The NAC ensures that all the poliovirus material that is still present in the Netherlands is managed and used in accordance with the correct conditions. The PEFs need a certificate in order to be allowed to store poliovirus material. The NAC certifies these facilities and cooperates closely with the WHO when doing so. At the request of the WHO the NAC is working to reduce the number of facilities even further. We are doing this in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), for example by amending legislation on working with poliovirus.
Audit of PEFs based on GAPIII regulations
Facilities that have material containing type 2 polio virus are regularly audited by the NAC. The frequency depends on the risk and the complexity of the work carried out by the facility. The number of obligatory audits is laid down in the WHO's Containment Certification Scheme (CCS). The requirements which a PEF has to fulfil are prescribed by the WHO in the annexes to the GAPIII document. The main elements of these requirements will be included in Dutch legislation.
Alternatively you can telephone the IGJ notification centre.
Contact
If you have any questions, please send an email to nac@igj.nl.