The ongoing wide spread of Covid-19, also referred to as 2019-nCoV or
SARS-CoV-2, is undoubtedly one of the deadliest zoonotic diseases the
whole world has grappled with. As of April 10, 2020, this disease has
infected above 1.6 million people in over 200 countries worldwide, and
claimed the lives of more than 96,000.1 Figure 1 shows
the distribution of confirmed cases in the first 20 nations with the
highest number of Covid-19 patients as of April 10, 2020, the least of
which has over 9,000 cases.
**Figure 1**
With the increasing trend of daily new cases and daily death from the
beginning of March to April 9, 2020, as displayed on Figure 2, it could
be predicted that this fatal pandemic could last well beyond a year.
According to the modeling completed by pandemic intelligence experts at
the Imperial College, London, the 2019 novel coronavirus is likely to
remain for another 12-18 months.2 Typically, past
pandemics have lasted between one to three years.3Examples of such recent pandemics are the H1N1
influenza,4 SARS-CoV,5Ebola,6 and MERS-CoV,7 which all
lasted for more than 12 months. As the emergence of these novel viruses
keep increasing, how could biosafety and biosecurity measures guard
against the introduction of the harmful causative organisms to humans in
the future?
**Figure 2**
The terms biosafety and biosecurity are broadly used in diverse
frameworks and refer not only to protection of humans and their
surrounding environment against lethal biological agents, but also to
global deactivation of arms of mass destruction.8 In
the concept of biorisk management, these two terms refer to best
practices that prevent the spillover of toxic organisms to human beings
and into the environment.9,10 Although these two terms
have been used interchangeably and often denoted with similar meanings,
scientists have distinguished between the two concepts. According to
Zaki,11 biosafety involves all the preventive measures
undertaken to eradicate strains of pathogenic microorganisms and their
potential toxins. On the other hand, biosecurity includes a set of
preventive strategies intended to reduce the risk of transmission of
infectious diseases in humans, crops, livestock, isolated pests and
genetically modified organisms.12
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified disease-causing
microorganisms into four different groups based on their principal
characteristics, hazardous threat to individuals and the community, and
their route of transmission.13,14 Table 1 presents the
four different groups with their associated risk levels.
**Table 1**
Concluding from the descriptions for the various pathogenic organisms
and their risk levels to individuals and the community in Table 1, the
novel coronaviruses that cause Covid-19, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and many
other pandemic-causing pathogens, could be classified as risk level 4
pathogens. As spillover events keep occurring in recent years, and more
of these high-risk emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are likely to be
introduced into the environment, it is necessary for the general public
and stakeholders around the globe to institute biosafety and biosecurity
measures in preventing the transmission of these biological toxins to
mankind, livestock and their inhabitations. Among the core elements of
the principles of biosafety measures and biosecurity strategies, the
following are principal in guiding against EIDs:
- Effective regulations have to be put in place to avoid and manage
intentional exposures to the sources and hosts of pathogenic organisms
of medium to high risk levels. Strict observation of such policies
around the world will minimize human activities that have caused
several spillover events in the past.
- As the sources of novel pathogens have been identified in the past, it
is necessary for scientists to inform the general public about the
sources and hosts of such toxic organisms. Further research should
also be targeted towards identifying these pathogens in animals and
plants which are usually exposed to the environment. Such knowledge
will help stakeholders and policymakers to notify the general public
about the potential spillover events that are likely from contacts
with identified sources and hosts of these pathogens.
- The risk assessment of pathogenic diseases of the past and a predicted
assessment of likely EIDs in the future should be made available to
the general public. Such awareness will inform the mass about the
economic, social, and health impacts of these diseases. This will
reinforce public adherence to policies and regulations which are
instituted to limit contacts with pathogenic sources as people are
aware of the potential losses to national and global economy, and the
adverse effects on social life and health facilities.
- As health personnel, scientists, and leaders in various capacities
often find themselves in the frontline during the emergence of
epidemic and pandemic diseases, they need to be trained adequately to
guarantee proper apprehension and execution of biosafety procedures to
ensure the maintenance of a safe working environment for individuals
and the wider community. This will ensure appropriate measures are
taken to limit the spread of infections.
- Finally, routine upgrades are required to render instituted biosafety
and biosecurity measures more effective and efficient in this
ever-changing world. As the etiology and epidemiology of EIDs keep
evolving, constant updates to safe practices in health centers around
the world are required to adapt these practices to effectively manage
the emerging diseases.
As various country-based mitigation measures are being implemented
around the world to contain and control the course of
Covid-19,15 it is essential that the above biosafety
and biosecurity measures are adopted and implemented to effectively
manage the ongoing outbreak, and prevent future emerging infections.