Latest Activities

A Standing Committee on Biosafety and Biosecurity oversees all components of biosafety, including bioethics, bio-risks and good laboratory practice, as well as biosecurity. The committee is currently undertaking a consensus study on The State of Biosafety and Biosecurity in South Africa funded by the US Cooperative Biological Engagement Programme (CBEP). The project commenced in October 2012 and is due for completion in the second quarter of 2014. The project has the following objectives:

• an assessment of research and diagnostic laboratories in South Africa;
• an assessment of existing legislation and regulation in relation to biosafety and biosecurity;
• an investigation into the applicability and balance of relevant ethical principles;
• an evaluation of existing measures and capacity to detect, identify, control, and prevent the natural, accidental, or deliberate spread of infectious agents.