Biosecurity in Biological and Biomedical Institutions in Misurata City: Education and Situation

الملخص

Biological materials could cause threats when used intentionally on living beings especially mankind. The issue of biosecurity is rising nowadays to protect people over the world from being hurt by biological materials. Education plays an essential role to improve biosecurity. This project was designed to estimate the level of understanding of BRM in specific biosecurity in biological and biomedical laboratories in Misurata city, also the study supports the including of BRM in the curriculum at biological and biomedical departments at Misurata University.

A questionnaire was designed to understand whether BRM is included in the curriculum at Universities and the level of biosecurity at organizations that participants working for. One hundred and eight graduated lab technicians from different universities and working for food and medical laboratories in the addition to research laboratories participated in this project. The questionnaire was designed to understand the level of information participants have as well as the level of security in laboratories they are working for. In addition, their advice was collected.

On the base of participants' answers, only about 12% studied BRM, and it was indicated into modules for 25%. During their studies, 45.5% informed about the risk of biological materials, 26.6% believe the information about biological security they gained was not enough. Only 7.9% informed about the security of sample storage. 58% working with samples can cause diseases, only about 10% believe that samples are securely stored. In percent, participants answered that access is limited 13.9%, inventory 15.8%, guards 42.6% and cameras 40.6%. Proper transportation inside the organization and outside it was 28.7% and 19.8% respectively. Proper waste management is managed by 10.9%.

This study shows the weakness of biosecurity in biological organizations in Misurata and recommends expanding the subject of BRM in the education system in Libya. In addition, improve biosecurity issues in medical and food laboratories. More research should be undertaken to develop BRM at biological and biomedical laboratories.