Ulsan Health and Environment Institute Establishes Bioterrorism Response System: "Rapid Testing → High-Risk Pathogen Diagnosis"

Ulsan City has entered a response posture by operating a rapid testing system to prepare for 'bioterrorism.'

The Ulsan City Health and Environment Research Institute announced on the 27th that it is fully committed to bioterrorism preparedness by operating a rapid and accurate diagnostic testing system for bioterrorism pathogens in connection with the suspected bioterrorism package incident that occurred at a welfare facility in Dong-gu on the 20th.

Bioterrorism pathogens are high-risk biological agents with significant biological hazards, such as anthrax, smallpox, glanders, plague, brucella, and tularemia, which are handled in Biosafety Level 3 (BL3) research facilities.

BL3 research facilities refer to negative pressure laboratories composed of biosafety equipment and physically sealed experimental areas designed to protect researchers and the environment from experiments handling high-risk pathogens.

The Health and Environment Research Institute obtained BL3 re-certification last year and has been conducting a bioterrorism pathogen surveillance project that tests for anthrax spores in soil from two cattle farms and one livestock market monthly, as well as testing six types of bioterrorism pathogens at local festivals and event sites.

In the previous year, through this project, 72 soil anthrax monitoring tests and 28 tests for six types of bioterrorism pathogens at five local event sites, including the National Sports Festival, were conducted, all of which were found to be negative.

An official from the Health and Environment Research Institute stated, “By maintaining the capability to test for suspected bioterrorism pathogens at all times and establishing a national laboratory surveillance network, we plan to protect citizens' lives through rapid and accurate responses in the event of a bioterrorism crisis.”

Ulsan Institute of Health and Environment Research.

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