I

ndonesia says it wants to certify a proposed level-3 biosafety laboratory (BSL-3) with the World Health Organization to research the interface of human-animal infectious diseases, specifically avian influenza.

Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said on Thursday that the lab, to be operated by the National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD), would investigate animal-borne infectious diseases.

“We have been longing to make our BSL-3 laboratory a WHO collaborating center for infectious disease research at the human-animal interface,” Endang said.

Many infectious diseases, such as H5N1 or avian influenza, are the product of animal viruses that can spread to humans.

Certified laboratory equipment and facilities are a prerequisite for becoming a WHO collaborating center.

Indonesian Biorisk Association (IBA) chairwoman Herawati Sudoyo, said improved management was needed to prevent the accidental release or intentional misuse of pathogens.

“We should protect humans, animals and the environment from infectious disease caused by the release of dangerous microorganisms,” she told The Jakarta Post.

Under biosafety management procedures, for example, laboratory workers would have guidance on the safest way to work with pathogens, decontamination procedures and learn how to close the lab if a pathogen is accidentally released, she said.

Researchers will use the BSL-3 laboratory to identify pathogens and new emerging infectious diseases.

Few local labs have been certified BSL-3, including facilities at the Eijkman Institute at the University of Indonesia’s Medical School in Jakarta and at Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java.

Graham Tallis, who leads WHO Indonesia’s communicable disease surveillance and response team, said the center would focus on the human-animal interface of the H5 avian influenza.

“Indonesia has a lot of experience with the H5 virus. By collaborating with the WHO, it will help us further knowledge, research and surveillance of H5, particularly of the animal-human interface,” Tallis said.

There are currently about 100 WHO collaborating centers around the world.

A laboratory in the US conducts similar research, focusing on animal viruses. A collaborating center in Thailand focuses on zoonotic disease, including rabies.

“The collaborating center in Indonesia will be the first one that specifically works on the human-animal interface for influenza,” Tallis said.

The laboratory would work with the WHO on areas where it did not have expertise, aiding global public health security programs, he said.