Gyeonggi-do Health and Environment Research Institute Re-certified as 'Biosafety Level 3 Research Facility'

Front View of Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment recently received re-certification and usage approval from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for its Biosafety Level 3 (BL3) research facility capable of diagnosing high-risk pathogens such as MERS, anthrax, and glanders.

Biosafety Level 3 research facilities are specialized laboratories designed to prevent laboratory personnel infections and pathogen leaks when handling infectious materials with high biological risk.

Certification requires meeting national installation and operation standards, and every three years from the initial approval date, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency must re-verify the installation standards and operational status.

Following the relocation to a new building in 2020, the institute obtained new certification in November of that year and has since conducted biological terrorism infectious disease inspections at various international events held in Gyeonggi-do, including the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, as well as diagnostic testing for newly emerging infectious diseases imported from abroad such as MERS and COVID-19.

With this re-certification, the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment can continue its role in the rapid diagnosis of high-risk pathogens and newly emerging infectious diseases imported from overseas, as well as in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

Kwon Bo-yeon, director of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, stated, "We will do our best to ensure the safety of residents by strengthening rapid diagnosis of newly emerging infectious diseases imported from abroad and enhancing surveillance and response systems for high-risk pathogens such as biological terrorism infectious diseases."