Experts at a workshop in the capital yesterday laid importance on increasing awareness on biosafety and biosecurity issues with a view to combating infectious diseases targeting the human body and environment.

As Bangladesh remains under threat of several emerging and reemerging infectious diseases like Nipah virus and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses which cause deaths, it is essential to ensure a sustainable culture of biosafety and biosecurity in the country's life science infrastructure, they observed.

Biosafety is biological research and clinical laboratory practices aiming to protect scientists and the public from unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxins while biosecurity refers to measures to stop the spread of harmful organisms to human, animal and plant life, according to the experts.

The call came at the inauguration of a three-day sensitisation workshop organised by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) with assistance from US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the DGHS auditorium.

Addressing as the chair, Prof Abul Khair Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, a director of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said there must be a focus on long term sustainability and capacity to create an appropriate infrastructure for better biorisk management, disease detection and control at all levels.

"Biosafety and biosecurity are closely interlinked and common systems are required to manage both effectively. We must strengthen biorisk management for our safety," he said.

Asadulghani, head of biosafety unit of ICDDR,B, gave a presentation highlighting different factors related to biosafety and biosecurity issues.

"As laboratory capacity in Bangladesh is rising in response to the country's increasing diagnostic and research needs, it has become the priority need for the researchers and diagnosticians to be introduced with and take best practices in biorisk management to contain, control and stop spread of infectious diseases," he said.

CDC Country Director in Bangladesh Dr Kevin L Russell also spoke at the programme, attended by around 100 experts from across the country.