Lagos to partner Canada on bio safety level four lab

Deliberations would soon commence with the Canadian government on the establishment of a bio safety level four laboratory in Lagos State.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on the upcoming Second African Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Bio-Safety slated for Eko Hotels and Suites, from July 27, the state Health Commissioner, Dr. Jide Idris, said it was essential to acquire such a facility for a country as large as Nigeria because anything could happen in terms of disease outbreaks.

According to him the Ebola Committee in the aftermath of the epidemic had raised recommendations, but progress cannot be made without upgrading facilities and equipment to the standard of tackling emerging infectious diseases like Ebola.

A bio safety laboratory is a specialized research laboratory that deals with infectious agents and life viruses as well as protects research workers, the environment and humans against the threats posed by any of such disease outbreaks. It ranks from level one to four with four being the highest and the highest capacity to handle safely, most of these outbreaks.
Idris noted that the Canadian government and other groups are coming to discuss fully with Lagos State in respect to some of the facilities to be put up “specifically a bio-banking facility and a bio-safety level four laboratory, which would be one of the highest in the country when it comes to diagnoses of emerging diseases.”