Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Practices in the Caribbean - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Ms. Sacha Wallace-Sankarsingh

Biorisk Manager, CARPHA

Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Practices in the Caribbean Community

CARICOM & CARPHA

Background

• 2012-2013 Initiative: Capacity building pilot project (training

and implementation biorisk management system) for Biosecurity and Disease Surveillance in the Caribbean and Central America (PAHO and GPP collaboration)

• Follow up survey on the “Analysis of Laboratory Capacities

and Needs” conducted by CARPHA in 2015 identified biosafety and biosecurity management as a key area for improvement

• The objective of the current paper is to determine the status of

laboratory biosafety and biosecurity practices across sectors including veterinary facilities of the CARPHA Member States.

Methodology

• Electronic questionnaire was developed to obtain

information from laboratory facilities across 18 countries of the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean from January to August 2017.

• Information regarding demographics, awareness of

legislative requirements, operational practices and training needs were collected.

Results

• Regional dataset n= 156 (18 countries)
• Veterinary dataset n= 32 (9 countries)

20 40 60 80 100

Sector

Sectors represented by Veterinary Laboratories Trade Research Environment Education Health Food & Beverage Agriculture

Availability of Regulatory and Operational Requirements

20 40 60 80 100

National Legislation exists Registered/licensed QMS implemented Laboratory Safety Officer assigned Biorisk management policy

Vet Regional

Percentage

Physical Containment and Use of Laboratory Equipment

47% 34% 19% Containment Conditions of Veterinary Laboratories in CARICOM

BSL-1 BSL-2 DNK

Key Laboratory Equipment Percent (%) BSC certified on annual basis 21 Centrifuges with sealable buckets used 32 Scheduled maintenance of autoclave 36

Capacity to Detect Key Pathogens in CARICOM

• No. of laboratories

Biological Agent Regional Veterinary Bacillus anthracis 2 Brucella sp.* 6 2 Escherichia coli (shiga toxin) 35 6 Influenza Virus 13 3 Mycobacterium tuberculosis* 18 1 Rabies Virus* 1 1 Salmonella sp.* 45 8 Shigella sp. 44 4 Vibrio cholerae 13 1 Yellow Fever Virus 3 1 Yersinia pestis 4 1

Percentage of Veterinary Laboratories conducting training on Key aspects of a laboratory safety programme

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Good Laboratory Practices Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification Proper use of biosafety equipment Selection and use of PPE Waste management practices Spill response Emergency response Biosecurity practices

Key Messages

• Key gaps exist across sectors including for veterinary

laboratories

• Coordinated, integrated approach to pathogen biosafety and

biosecurity required (Cari-PHLN; CaribVETNet: CariVecNet)

• Context for priority disease recognition and appropriate

containment measures

• Regional capacity building initiatives exist for medical/public

health laboratories, opportunities for scope expansion

Thank you