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COVID prompts global surge in labs that handle dangerous pathogens

India, Singapore and the Philippines are among those building new laboratories certified as biosafety level 3 or above, but some researchers worry about the costs and risks.
  1. Smriti Mallapaty

    1. Smriti Mallapaty is a senior reporter in Sydney, Australia.

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, plans are afoot to build more than 40 high-level biosafety laboratories around the world, including in India, the Philippines and Singapore. Investments in biosafety labs often follow major epidemics, but some researchers are concerned about the growing number of facilities that will handle some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens.

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Nature 610, 428-429 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03181-x

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 12 October 2022: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Kim Sales conducted a survey of biosafety officers in the Philippines. She has just used the survey responses as part of her own research.

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