Biosecurity
Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction or spread of harmful organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria, plants, animals etc.)
In agriculture, these measures are aimed at protecting food crops and livestock from pests, invasive species, and other organisms not conducive to the welfare of the human population.
The term was first used by the agricultural and environmental communities to describe preventative measures against threats from naturally occurring diseases and pests, later expanded to introduced species.
[2] The term laboratory biosafety refers to the measures taken "to reduce the risk of accidental release of or exposure to infectious disease agents", whereas laboratory biosecurity is usually taken to mean "a set of systems and practices employed in legitimate bioscience facilities to reduce the risk that dangerous biological agents will be stolen and used maliciously".
[2] Components of a laboratory biosecurity program include:[8] Threats to animals and plants, in particular food crops, which may in turn threaten human health, are typically overseen by a government department of agriculture.
A critical element in animal biosecurity is biocontainment – the control of disease agents already present in a particular area and work to prevent transmission.
[15] The aquaculture industry is also vulnerable to pathogenic organisms, including fungal, bacterial, or viral infections which can affect fish at different stages of their life cycle.
[5] Standard-setting organisations include the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) develop standards pertinent to their focuses, which then become international reference points through the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), created in 1995.
[22] Broadly, the measures covered by the agreement are those aimed at the protection of human, animal or plant life or health from certain risks.
[2] Controversial experiments in synthetic biology, including the synthesis of poliovirus from its genetic sequence, and the modification of flu type H5N1 for airborne transmission in mammals, led to calls for tighter controls on the materials and information used to perform similar feats.
[34] The proliferation of high biosafety level laboratories around the world has resulted in concern about the availability of targets for those that might be interested in stealing dangerous pathogens.
By strengthening national disease surveillance, prevention, control and response systems, the labs have improved international public health.
[41] The MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, with its socio-political unrest, diverse cultures and societies, and recent biological weapons programs, faces particular challenges.
[42] Biosecurity requires the cooperation of scientists, technicians, policy makers, security engineers, and law enforcement officials.
[32][45] American scientists have proposed various policy-based measures to reduce the large risks from life sciences research – such as pandemics through accident or misapplication.
[48] The advance of the life sciences and biotechnology has the potential to bring great benefits to humankind through responding to societal challenges.
However, it is also possible that such advances could be exploited for hostile purposes, something evidenced in a small number of incidents of bioterrorism, particularly by the series of large-scale offensive biological warfare programs carried out by major states in the last century.
