The first Biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) containment mobile laboratory of South Asia was inaugurated in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. The mobile facility investigates newly emerging and re-emerging viral infections that are highly infectious and of lethal potential to human beings.

What

  1. The Biosafety level-3 Mobile Laboratory is a significant value addition to the Government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure through the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
  2. The mobile Lab will help in real-time data collection which will enable us to ensure quick containment and prevent further spread of any emerging viral infections. 
  3. The laboratory has been designed and built by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with Mumbai based bio-safety equipment maker Klenzaids.
  4. The Union Health Ministry said the existing infrastructure of BSL-3 laboratories is fixed and dependent on transporting samples from near and far locations, often leading to delays in diagnosis.
  5. In view of repeated outbreaks of highly infectious pathogens like Nipah, Zika, Avian influenza and now COVID, it is critical to be able to detect the emerging epidemics or pandemics at a very early stage to enable quick containment and prevent spread.
  6. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the laboratory is airtight, access-controlled, bio-decontaminable, fitted with safe change HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing) filtration and biological liquid waste decontamination system.
  7. The lab is controlled through an intelligent control automation system, which maintains the working environment under negative air pressure, maintains equipment parameters and records all necessary data.