New Laboratory Safety Rules Implemented in China

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Article Date: 29 Nov 2004 - 9:00 PDT

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Laboratories in China that wish to experiment on risky pathogenic microbes will now need official approval, say officials. Last March two lab workers caught the SARS virus at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Laboratories will be categorized according to four levels.

-- Levels 1 and 2 will not be allowed to carry out tests on risky pathogenic microbes that spread rapidly among animals and humans and cause dangerous diseases.

-- Levels 3 and 4 will be allowed to carry out tests on dangerous pathogens after authorisation from health and veterinary authorities.

The labs will have to keep careful records of their work and hand in their results to authorities.

According to the China Daily, another lab (Institute of Virus Diseases) carried out SARS virus tests even though it did not have the proper facilities.

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