India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced the launch of its first mobile biosafety level 3 lab (BSL-3).
The new lab in Nashik has been established to help with detection and containment of future outbreaks of infectious diseases, owing to the increasing frequency of the situation.
The lab was launched by the government programme "PM Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Health Mission", which was launched in 2021 to strengthen the country's healthcare system.
The mobile nature of the lab means that it can be deployed to any area in need at short notice.
"Built at a cost of around US$3.4m, the self-sufficient laboratory is airtight, access-controlled, bio decontaminable, fitted with safe change HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing) filtration and biological liquid waste decontamination system," the Times of India stated. "The lab is controlled through an intelligent control automation system, which maintains the working environment under negative air pressure, the statement said."
