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float: right; border-color: #000000;" class="jce_caption"><img title="Laboratory tools and equipment" alt="Laboratory tools and equipment" src="/images/stories/ihr/lab_photo.jpg" /><span style="width: 240px; display: block;" class="photo-caption">Photo credit: WHO</span></span></p> <p>Biosafety is the safe working practices associated with handling of biological materials, particularly infectious agents. It addresses containment principles, technologies and practices that are implemented to prevent the unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxins, or their accidental release. Responsible laboratory practices, including protection, control and accountability for valuable biological materials will help prevent their unauthorized access, loss, theft, misuse, diversion or intentional release.</p> <p>The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean provides technical support to Member States in developing biorisk management strategies to minimize risks of infections through safe and secure practices in laboratory and transport environments in a cost-effective manner. It provides guidance on, and promotes the use of, safe and secure workplace practices, appropriate protective equipment, and engineering and administrative controls in the handling of pathogenic organisms.</p> <p> </p></div> </div> </div> <div class="article_row cols2 clearfix" id="health-topics-articles"> <div class="article_column " > <div class="contentpaneopen health-topics clearfix"> <h2 class="contentheading health-topics"> Information resources</h2> <div class="article-tools clearfix"> <div class="article-meta" > </div> <div class="buttonheading"> <span> <a href="/health-topics/biosafety/information-resources/Print.html" title="Print" onclick="window.open(this.href,'win2','status=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,titlebar=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480,directories=no,location=no'); return false;" rel="nofollow"><img src="/templates/rwd/images/printButton.png" alt="Print" /></a> </span> <span> <a href="/pdf/health-topics/biosafety/information-resources.pdf" title="PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href,'win2','status=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,titlebar=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480,directories=no,location=no'); return false;" rel="nofollow"><img src="/templates/rwd/images/pdf_button.png" alt="PDF" /></a> </span> </div> </div> <div class="article-content"> <h3>Recent publications</h3> <p class="bullet-highlighted"><a href="http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/biosafety/WHO_CDS_CSR_LYO_2004_11/en/" target="_blank">Laboratory biosafety manual (third edition)</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted"><a href="http://www.who.int/ihr/biosafety/publications_WHO_CDS_EPR_2006_6/en/index.html" target="_blank">Biorisk management: Laboratory biosecurity guidance</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted"><a href="http://www.who.int/ihr/publications/who_hse_ihr_20100801/en/index.html" target="_blank">Guidance on regulations for the Transport of Infectious Substances 2011–2012 </a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted"><a href="http://www.who.int/ihr/infectious_substances/en/index.html" target="_blank">A guide for shipping infectious substances</a></p> <h2>Links</h2> <p class="bullet-highlighted" target="_blank" a="a" p="p" biosecurity="biosecurity" laboratory="laboratory" and="and" html="html" index="index" en="en" biosafety="biosafety" ihr="ihr" int="int" who="who" www="www" http:="http:"><a href="http://www.who.int/biologicals/en/" target="_blank">Biologicals</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted" target="_blank" a="a" p="p" biosecurity="biosecurity" laboratory="laboratory" and="and" html="html" index="index" en="en" biosafety="biosafety" ihr="ihr" int="int" who="who" www="www" http:="http:"><a href="http://www.who.int/ihr/biosafety/en/index.html" target="_blank">Biosafety and laboratory biosecurity</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted" target="_blank" a="a" p="p" biosecurity="biosecurity" laboratory="laboratory" and="and" html="html" index="index" en="en" biosafety="biosafety" ihr="ihr" int="int" who="who" www="www" http:="http:"><a href="http://www.who.int/bloodproducts/en/" target="_blank">Blood products and related biologicals</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted" target="_blank" a="a" p="p" biosecurity="biosecurity" laboratory="laboratory" and="and" html="html" index="index" en="en" biosafety="biosafety" ihr="ihr" int="int" who="who" www="www" http:="http:"><a href="http://www.who.int/csr/outbreaknetwork/en/" target="_blank">Global alert and response</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted"><a href="http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/" target="_blank">Disease outbreak news</a></p> <p class="bullet-highlighted" target="_blank" a="a" p="p" and="and" html="html" index="index" en="en" int="int" who="who" www="www" http:="http:" response="response" alert="alert" global="global" csr="csr"><a href="http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/en/" target="_blank">Vaccine safety</a></p></div> </div> </div> <div class="article_column " > <div class="contentpaneopen health-topics clearfix"> <h2 class="contentheading health-topics"> Related topics</h2> <div class="article-tools clearfix"> <div class="article-meta" > </div> <div class="buttonheading"> <span> <a href="/health-topics/biosafety/related-topics/Print.html" title="Print" onclick="window.open(this.href,'win2','status=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,titlebar=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480,directories=no,location=no'); 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