WHO has started in 2007 External Quality Assessment Programme for the Detection of Influenza Virus Type A by PCR (WHO EQAP) to verify results of Virology Laboratories of NICs of its member countries participating in the Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN). The responsibility to run WHO EQAP has been assigned to the Virology Division, Public Health Laboratory Services Branch, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health Hong Kong, China and this Center send quarterly coded samples to the participating laboratories and the participating laboratories has to test the panels and to send back to WHO EQAP organizer the results within 14 days. 

The Virology Laboratory, NIC, Mongolia placed in NCCD, MoH, Mongolia is participating in WHO EQAP since its beginning and has passed 100% the test for the last 4 panels (pls see the 6th full report of WHO EQAP and the invidual report for Virology Laboratory, NIC, Mongolia). Therefore WHO has listed Virology Laboratory, NIC, Mongolia in the world list of laboratories with capabilities to diagnose A(H1N1)v influenza infection by rt_RT-PCR in May 2009 (pls see details in: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/country_pcr_capacity/en/). 

The fifth National Influenza workshop was organized by the National Emergency Management Agency with the financial assistance of the World Bank project “Avian influenza control and human influenza pandemic preparedness response” on 7–8 October, 2009, at Chingis Hotel, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The main goal of this workshop was to improve the participation and close cooperation of all citizens and governmental and non-governmental organizations in influenza pandemic preparedness response according to the WHO recommendations in order to overcome worldwide pandemic situation and next influenza waves with less loss.