1. Handled in accordance with the Kaohsiung City Government Health Bureau letter No. 11533412600 dated April 8, 115.
2. In view of the continued outbreaks of Lassa virus infections internationally in recent years and the assessment of disease severity, our country has classified it as a Category 5 statutory infectious disease. To align the Lassa virus biosafety guidelines with international trends, the guidelines have been revised with reference to the latest guidance from Canada, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
3. The main points of the revisions are as follows:
(1) Adjust the structure of the guideline content, dividing it into four main sections: “Purpose,” “Pathogen Risk Groups and Management Regulations,” “Laboratory Biosafety Requirements,” and “References.”
(2) Regulations and recommendations concerning the laboratory biosafety level, personal protective equipment, handling of infectious biological materials, virus inactivation, packaging and transport, cleaning and disinfection, waste management, spill handling, emergency response, and incident management for the handling of Lassa virus pathogens and clinical specimens are consolidated under the “Laboratory Biosafety Requirements” section.
(3) Considering testing needs and risk assessment principles, the routine clinical testing portion has been revised so that, after a localized risk assessment approved by the unit’s biosafety committee, routine clinical tests may be performed in a BSL‑2 laboratory using a qualified and validated Class II Biosafety Cabinet (Class IIBSC) or equipment with a closed‑system tubing, by personnel who have received appropriate training and are authorized, wearing enhanced protective equipment, and avoiding unnecessary opening, aliquoting, or aerosol generation.
4. The electronic version of the aforementioned guideline has been placed on the CDC’s global website (URL: www.cdc.gov.tw) under the section “Home > Infectious Diseases and Epidemic Prevention > Laboratory Biosafety > Laboratory Biosafety Technical Specifications and Guidelines > 3 – Laboratory Biosafety Specifications and Guidelines for Pathogens.” Please download and refer to it yourself.
