Biosecurity

What is Biosecurity?

Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction or spread of harmful organisms outside their native range or within new environments, including pests, invasive species, and biological threats to people. The term includes biological threats to humans, pandemic diseases, and bioterrorism.

Expanding the Definition

The definition of biosecurity has been broadened over time to include other concepts such as managing biological threats to people, industries, or the environment. Laboratory biosecurity includes measures to reduce the risk of accidental release or exposure to infectious disease agents, while laboratory biosecurity focuses on controlling access to pathogens and sensitive information.

Protecting Agriculture and Livestock

Biosecurity protocols are used to prevent invasive pests or diseases from arriving at a specific location that could damage crops and livestock, as well as the wider environment. Measures taken to counter biosecurity risks include compulsory quarantine terms, physical security, personnel security, material control and accountability, transport security, information security, program management, and biological security.

Animal Biosecurity

Animal biosecurity encompasses different means of prevention and containment of disease agents in a specific area, including biocontainment, which is critical for controlling disease agents already present in an area and preventing transmission. Animal biosecurity may protect organisms from infectious agents or noninfectious agents such as toxins or pollutants.

The Epidemiological Triad

Animal biosecurity takes into account the epidemiological triad for disease occurrence: the individual host, the disease, and the environment in contributing to disease susceptibility. Biocontainment works to improve specific immunity towards already present pathogens.

Biosecurity in Aquaculture

The aquaculture industry is also vulnerable to pathogenic organisms, including fungal, bacterial, or viral infections which can affect fish at different stages of their life cycle. Direct threats to human health may come in the form of epidemics or pandemics, such as the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and other influenza epidemics, MERS, SARS, or the COVID-19 pandemic, or they may be deliberate attacks (bioterrorism).

Medical Countermeasures

Medical countermeasures are products such as biologics and pharmaceutical drugs that can protect from or treat the effects of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) attack or in the case of public health emergencies. International organisations include the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures, which develop standards pertinent to their focuses.

International Agreements

The International Health Regulations are a legally binding agreement on 196 nations, including all member states of WHO, aimed at preventing and responding to international spread of disease. UN Resolution 1540 (2004) obliges States to refrain from supporting non-State actors in developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

OECD Guidelines

The OECD Best Practice Guidelines for Biological Resource Centres were created in 2001 after experts came together to call upon national governments to undertake actions to bring the BRC concept into being. Biosecurity issues are increasingly considered as an international security issue due to the securitisation of non-traditional security issues such as climate change, organised crime, terrorism, and landmines.

Controversial Experiments

Biosecurity is one of the issues being securitized under this trend. The UN Security Council discussed HIV/AIDS as a security issue in Africa and designated it a threat in 2001. Biosecurity issues have increased due to advancements in biotechnology, evolving infectious diseases, and globalization. Controversial experiments in synthetic biology led to calls for tighter controls on materials and information used for such feats.

Communication and Cooperation

Diseases caused by emerging viruses are a major threat to global public health. The proliferation of high biosafety level laboratories has raised concerns about the availability of targets for pathogens. Biomedical advances have improved public health, but also increased the risk of biological weapons.

Engagement and Policy

Communication between citizens, law enforcement officials, policymakers, and life sciences scientists is important. The MENA region faces particular challenges due to its socio-political unrest and recent biological weapons programs. Biosecurity requires cooperation among scientists, technicians, policy makers, security engineers, and law enforcement officials.

The Challenge of Developing Effective Policy

Developing an effective policy is challenging due to the limitations on time and resources available for analyzing threats and estimating their likelihood of occurrence. Uncertainties about policy implementation remain, and policymakers need to balance short-term and long-term risks.

Philosopher Toby Ord’s Question

Philosopher Toby Ord questioned the adequacy of current international conventions regarding biotechnology research and development regulation. American scientists proposed policy-based measures to reduce the large risks from life sciences research, such as novel international guidelines and effective oversight.

The Dual-Use Dilemma

Researchers also warned about potential risks from mirror life, a hypothetical form of life whose molecular building blocks have inverted chirality. The advance of life sciences and biotechnology brings benefits but also poses a dual-use dilemma, requiring engagement between scientists, security communities, and development of strong ethical and normative frameworks, legal and regulatory measures to ensure their use does not support hostile purposes.

As we navigate the complex landscape of biosecurity, it’s clear that collaboration across disciplines is crucial. The challenges are many, but so too are the opportunities for innovation and protection. By working together, we can build a safer world where both science and security thrive.