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Published on: October 3, 2016
Building Biosafety Capacity in Our Nation's Laboratories
Christina L Chung1, Kimberly Spencer Bellis1, Amy Pullman1
1Christina L. Chung, MPH, Kimberly Spencer Bellis, MSPH, and Amy Pullman, MPH, MT, are Health Scientists; Angelica O'Connor, MPH, is ELC Program Coordinator; and Alvin Shultz, MSPH, is Branch Chief; all in the Scientific Programs and Development Branch, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak highlighted biosafety gaps. Funding improved public health laboratories (PHLs) and clinical partners' safety practices, though clinical settings require more attention.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Laboratory Science
- Infectious Disease Control
Background:
- The 2014 Ebola outbreak exposed significant biosafety vulnerabilities within US health systems.
- Public health laboratories (PHLs) and sentinel clinical laboratories play a critical role in managing infectious disease threats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a $24.1 million funding initiative aimed at enhancing biosafety practices in PHLs and associated clinical laboratories.
- To assess improvements in risk assessment policies and staff certifications for handling highly infectious diseases.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted using 9 indicators to evaluate 59 PHLs and 4,040 clinical laboratories over 6 reporting periods (March 2015–April 2018).
- Data collection focused on risk assessments, policy implementation, and staff certifications for packaging and shipping hazardous materials.
Main Results:
- By April 2018, 92% of PHLs had conducted Ebola risk assessments, and policy adoption for risk assessments increased from 52% to 91%.
- Clinical laboratory awardee performance improved, with meeting targets for staff certifications rising from 32% to 46%, and risk assessment policies from 18% to 28%.
- Ebola treatment centers showed improved risk assessment policy implementation, increasing from 48% to 67%.
Conclusions:
- Public health laboratories and clinical partners demonstrated progress in biosafety practices and managing biological threats.
- Continued support for biosafety initiatives is crucial for sustained improvement.
- Specific attention and resources are needed to address persistent gaps within the clinical laboratory community.
