Safe and effective laboratories are a key line of defense in protecting the health, safety and security of Americans and U.S. interests worldwide. The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has designated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Center for Global Health as a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Biosafety and Biosecurity under WHO’s reference number USA-448.
The designation, effective for four years, is the first awarded to a CDC/WHO collaborating centre that draws upon knowledge and participation from agency-wide biosafety and biosecurity experts to assist PAHO/WHO in their efforts to help countries safely handle and contain dangerous diseases, such as Ebola, influenza and polio.
CDC has decades of experience partnering with countries to build global capacity for biosafety and biosecurity. As a Biosafety and Biosecurity Collaborating Centre, CDC will:
· provide global leadership to aid in the development of international recommendations and guidance for laboratory biosafety and biological risk management;
· support PAHO/WHO to use state-of-the-art training and technological innovations in laboratory science to fill knowledge gaps and address fundamental issues affecting safe laboratory operations; and
· continue to work to improve biosafety and biosecurity around the globe.
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