What are the Bio-Safety Levels of Containment in India?

The National Centre for Disease Control provides four levels of Bio-Safety to be followed in India.

What is Bio-Safety?

Bio-Safety is the principle used to contain the spread of pathogens and toxins. This is not for the safety of the institutions working with the pathogens. However, the safety levels are implemented to safeguard the public from being infected.

India follows Bio-Safety Levels as prescribed by the World Health Organization. The monitoring and implementing agency of these bio-safety levels is done by the National Centre for Disease control.

What are the Bio-Safety Levels?

There are four Bio-Safety levels. It includes

• BSL-1 that are basic teaching laboratories.
• BSL-2 offering diagnostic services
• BSL-3 offers high containment special diagnostic services.
• BSL-4 are those laboratories that handle dangerous pathogens.

The COVID-19 has been put under BSL-4 level.

The NCDC also provides guidelines for biomedical waster handlers, biomedical waste management, sterilization and disinfection procedures, biosafety cabinets, etc.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2020