This center was visited today by the Minister of Health, Fátima Matute, where she pointed out that it went from examining 3,057 tests in its old facilities in the first half of 2019 to 9,951 in the same period in 2024, without taking health surveys into account. Epidemiological surveillance and other studies at the request of the General Directorate of Public Health.
“Laboratory technology allows us to precisely identify a microorganism at the strain level, such as monkeypox (Mpox), analyze virulence genes or antimicrobial resistance. Subsequently, a phylogenetic profile is generated, which provides more accurate information about transmission chains for decision-making,” the advisor said.
To this end, the Isabel Zendal Nursing Hospital has predictive genomics equipment that allows linking the genetic profile to the development of public health diseases, available to the three areas that make it up: the Water and Food Microbiology Unit, Chemistry and the already mentioned Clinical Microbiology, also equipped with a biological laboratory safety.
It acts as a reference laboratory for the diagnosis of suspected cases of diseases such as measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, as part of the regional authority’s plan to eliminate these pathologies. In addition, they perform diagnostic functions to control and confirm epidemic outbreaks of other reportable and vaccine-preventable diseases such as mumps and whooping cough.
It is also a reference area in the serotyping and monitoring of invasive pneumococcal disease, it is competent in the confirmation of viral gastroenteritis processes or food infections that may occur in such sensitive areas as residences or social health centers. At the same time, it is competent in the serological determinations of the serovigilance investigations carried out regularly in the region, which are integrated into programs for the detection, monitoring and control of multi-resistant microorganisms.
Water and food microbiology units
The Department of Water and Food Microbiology is responsible for conducting official analyzes of drinking water from the region’s water supply network, as well as hot utility water from swimming pools, swimming pools, hydrothermal facilities and water parks. Responsible for examining cooling tower samples for presence Legionella sppand studies the presence and number of pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins in food, both from outbreaks and from official control programs, as well as the detection of zoonotic parasites.
The chemical unit detects the presence of various chemical compounds present in water and food and investigates residues of veterinary drugs in products of animal origin, pesticides and contaminants or food additives.
