The ABSA International Technical and Regulatory Review Committee compiled a Summary of Changes and a Side-by-Side Comparison to the 6th edition of the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL-6) released in November of 2020. The BMBL-6 continues to be, since the first edition in 1984, an advisory document. Consequently, words such as "must" and "should" have been mostly removed. In our review, we found updates to every section of the BMBL, from title changes to added references to include publications since 2009, when the 5th edition of the BMBL was published. We noticed, for example, new references to Zika and Vibrio cholera [...]

Medical laboratory professionals are recognized at the end of April in the United States. We want to recognize here this group of unsung heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marian Downing, Shoolah Escott, and Michael Marsico will present a poster during the upcoming virtual APHL 2021 Conference showcasing Biorisk Management tips and tools offered by ABSA International that may be of value to the laboratory professional interested in biosafety. Here are the Top-5 tools and resources: Training Tools and resources type "risk assessment" in the search box to retrieve manuscripts, templates, and webinars. In addition, online education is facilitated through webinars [...]

In March 2020, the Emerging Infectious Diseases Committee (EIDC, then a task force) spearheaded the compilation of scientific and non-scientific resources into the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Toolbox. Since then, the Committee has been busy adding resources, updating guidance provided primarily by US CDC and OSHA, and the WHO. But we don’t stop there, members of the EIDC have generated documents including risk assessment considerations for handling COVID-19 related samples in the laboratory setting and for holding community events. Towards the end of 2020, the Committee requested feedback from the ABSA International members and friends on ways to improve the toolbox. After [...]