Guest guest Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031211wo33.htm Ministry must trace SARS used in study Koichi Yasuda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi recently unveiled a plan to address the unmonitored import of SARS viruses into the country for vaccine research. Methods of testing for SARS have yet to be established and are urgently needed, but research on the effectiveness and reliability of potential SARS tests requires viruses on which to experiment. However, the procedures governing the import of SARS viruses for research are unclear. Even Sakaguchi was unable to provide a clear account of the situation, beyond saying at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting Friday that one or two facilities probably were storing imported SARS viruses. Starting this spring, a joint research team formed by the Health Ministry and Education, Science and Technology Ministry began research at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) using SARS viruses provided by Hong Kong University. The team gave some of these viruses to the disease-testing department of the Clinical Research Center at National Kinki Chuo Hospital, with which it is conducting joint experiments. As part of the education ministry's research, Nagasaki University and Hokkaido University also imported viruses from Vietnam to conduct experiments. According to inquiries by The Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo Medical and Dental University also obtained SARS viruses from a German university with which Tokyo Medical researchers have personal ties. The Tokyo Medical researchers then gave some of the viruses to two other universities. The above-mentioned universities and research centers are not the only institutions to have imported SARS viruses, but there is no way of tracing all the institutes that have imported SARS samples for research. The Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law controls imports of pathogens that infect domestic animals for research, but diseases such as SARS, which have not been identified as infecting domestic animals, can be imported freely without notifying the authorities. The Education Ministry, Health Ministry and Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, which supervise research institutes, said they did not have an overall picture of the situation. Freedom to perform research should be guaranteed, but Kazuyoshi Sugiyama, head of the NIID's biosafety control and research division, raised some concerns about experiments that were being conducted without sufficient attention to safety. The SARS virus was designated under the revised Infectious Disease Prevention Law that took effect last month as a type 1 virus--the category reserved for the most dangerous diseases. The World Health Organization requires researchers to handle type 1 viruses only in Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) special laboratories, the second-highest safety classification. WHO standards for BSL-3 labs stipulate a high degree of safety precautions. Entrances to BSL-3 special labs must have double doors to prevent direct access to outside areas. Air from BSL-3 labs is discharged through special filters, and researchers are required to wear protective masks and gloves while conducting experiments. There are more than 200 BSL-3 labs in the country, but there are no uniform domestic rules governing the safety procedures at such labs, nor are there punitive measures for infringements of safety. The education ministry said research institutes and researchers are given a free hand in running BSL-3 labs. " It can't be denied that each research institute has different management standards, " Sugiyama said. In September, a researcher was infected with the SARS virus at a BSL-3 lab in Singapore. The case emphasized that the sloppy implementation of safety measures, such as allowing researchers not to wear protective masks, can result in infection even in BSL-3 labs. A WHO special committee proposed at the end of October that every country inspect any of its research institutes experimenting with SARS viruses, prompting Sakaguchi to release an inspection plan. Not only the Health Ministry, but also other ministries and agencies with similar research institutes should conduct inspections as soon as possible. As a measure against bioterrorism, the United States in 1996 asserted legal control on the use of about 40 pathogens for research, establishing rules forbidding researchers to use such viruses without permission. Nagasaki University Prof. Koichi Morita said the Japanese government must grasp the situation and establish uniform guidelines on the use of viruses for research. Researchers also are calling for the government to show leadership regarding SARS research. Copyright 2003 The Yomiuri Shimbun Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard http://antispam./whatsnewfree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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