UNB, Dhaka :
Speakers at a seminar here on Tuesday said Bangladesh needs to take effective biosafety measures for protecting people from infectious diseases like Ebola, Swine Flu and Anthrax as there is a growing threat of such diseases across the world.
“Irrespective of the region or country, biosafety issues in medical and other life sciences represent a global threat. Effective strategies to deal with biosafety issues require integrated and coordinated decision-making by different departments like health, food, agriculture, environment, intelligence and law enforcement organisations,” said Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Md Mahfuzur Rahman.
He was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day seminar as the chief guest.
Biosafety Office of icddr,b, Bangladesh Country Office of the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) of the UNDP in collaboration with Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) arranged the seminar and training workshop titled ‘Biosafety, Biosecurity, Bioterrorism and Biodefense’ at the Armed Force Medical Institute auditorium of Dhaka Cantonment.
Mahfuzur Rahman said, biosecurity and biosafety have emerged as a great concern following several notorious bioterrorism incidents, such as Anthrax attacks in the USA in 2001, Foot and Mouth disease outbreaks in England and China. “Terrorism using biological weapons is of particular concern because small quantities of biological agents can kill or seriously injure a large number of people.”
Noting that Bangladesh is the largest troop-contributing country in UN peacekeeping operations, he said a large number of Bangladeshi troops move to and from different parts of the world where they are exposed to many infectious diseases endemic to those countries.
“When they return home, they’re at risk of transmitting those diseases. The recent Ebola pandemic in West African countries put our troops in a very vulnerable situation. Strict
biosafety measures have saved us from casualties,” he said. Besides, he said, Bangladesh is under threat of several emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as Avian and Swine Flu, SARS and MERS, Nipah virus diseases that may cause severe morbidity and mortality. So, Bangladesh Armed Forces should build capacity to combat such situation, he added.
Director General of the Medical Services under Defence Ministry Maj Gen Dr SM Motahar Hossain said application of knowledge, use of appropriate techniques and equipment will enable the microbiological and biomedical community to prevent personal, laboratory and environmental exposure to potentially infectious agent or biohazards.
Noting that biological agents spread even through the air, water or in food, he said anthrax, botulism, Ebola and other haemorrhagic fever viruses, plague, or smallpox could be used as biological agents. Biosafety uses medical measures to protect people against bioterrorism. Dr Hossain said now some 6,000 Bangladeshi soldiers are deployed mostly in different African countries are vulnerable to the viral agents. “So, it is high time to be concerned about biosafety and biosecurity in our health set up and the laboratories.”
AFIP Commandant Maj Gen Dr Debashish Saha said, “To control epidemics and protect the public health, medical researchers must quickly identify naturally occurring microbes and then develop diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines for them. Preparing for bioterrorism the deliberate release of a microbe into a community in which it is not a current health concern-demands for similar scientific skills and strategies.”
CDC Country Director Dr Kevin L Russell and Head of Biosafety & BSL3 Laboratory of iccdr,b Dr Asadulghani also spoke on the occasion.
Speakers at a seminar here on Tuesday said Bangladesh needs to take effective biosafety measures for protecting people from infectious diseases like Ebola, Swine Flu and Anthrax as there is a growing threat of such diseases across the world.
“Irrespective of the region or country, biosafety issues in medical and other life sciences represent a global threat. Effective strategies to deal with biosafety issues require integrated and coordinated decision-making by different departments like health, food, agriculture, environment, intelligence and law enforcement organisations,” said Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Md Mahfuzur Rahman.
He was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day seminar as the chief guest.
Biosafety Office of icddr,b, Bangladesh Country Office of the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) of the UNDP in collaboration with Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) arranged the seminar and training workshop titled ‘Biosafety, Biosecurity, Bioterrorism and Biodefense’ at the Armed Force Medical Institute auditorium of Dhaka Cantonment.
Mahfuzur Rahman said, biosecurity and biosafety have emerged as a great concern following several notorious bioterrorism incidents, such as Anthrax attacks in the USA in 2001, Foot and Mouth disease outbreaks in England and China. “Terrorism using biological weapons is of particular concern because small quantities of biological agents can kill or seriously injure a large number of people.”
Noting that Bangladesh is the largest troop-contributing country in UN peacekeeping operations, he said a large number of Bangladeshi troops move to and from different parts of the world where they are exposed to many infectious diseases endemic to those countries.
“When they return home, they’re at risk of transmitting those diseases. The recent Ebola pandemic in West African countries put our troops in a very vulnerable situation. Strict
biosafety measures have saved us from casualties,” he said. Besides, he said, Bangladesh is under threat of several emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as Avian and Swine Flu, SARS and MERS, Nipah virus diseases that may cause severe morbidity and mortality. So, Bangladesh Armed Forces should build capacity to combat such situation, he added.
Director General of the Medical Services under Defence Ministry Maj Gen Dr SM Motahar Hossain said application of knowledge, use of appropriate techniques and equipment will enable the microbiological and biomedical community to prevent personal, laboratory and environmental exposure to potentially infectious agent or biohazards.
Noting that biological agents spread even through the air, water or in food, he said anthrax, botulism, Ebola and other haemorrhagic fever viruses, plague, or smallpox could be used as biological agents. Biosafety uses medical measures to protect people against bioterrorism. Dr Hossain said now some 6,000 Bangladeshi soldiers are deployed mostly in different African countries are vulnerable to the viral agents. “So, it is high time to be concerned about biosafety and biosecurity in our health set up and the laboratories.”
AFIP Commandant Maj Gen Dr Debashish Saha said, “To control epidemics and protect the public health, medical researchers must quickly identify naturally occurring microbes and then develop diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines for them. Preparing for bioterrorism the deliberate release of a microbe into a community in which it is not a current health concern-demands for similar scientific skills and strategies.”
CDC Country Director Dr Kevin L Russell and Head of Biosafety & BSL3 Laboratory of iccdr,b Dr Asadulghani also spoke on the occasion.
