Biosafety Lab

On August 7, China put into operation a high-level biosafety lab in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang

Province. The first biosafety level-4 lab (BSL-4) for large animals was accredited by China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment, with BSL-4 being the highest biosafety level. The national animal disease control lab could boost the country’s research on and prevention and control of highly infectious diseases, according to the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the lab’s operator. It will conduct animal testing on pathogens of all known major infectious diseases, the institute said. The lab will also work with other institutes on joint research of prevention and control of highly infectious diseases in a bid to safeguard the livestock industry and public health, it said.