The Ministry of National Defense proposed a five-year initiative for comprehensive improvement of its biological warfare defense capabilities, with a planned budget of NT$495.6 million (US$16.1 million), a ministry official said yesterday.
The budget includes NT$58 million over three years to upgrade a biosafety laboratory to match a new Chinese facility in Wuhan, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The level 4 lab in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽) was designed according to WHO-approved protocols for the isolation of biological agents. Only labs rated level 4, the highest standard, are deemed capable of handling highly dangerous or unidentified pathogens.
Before the Wuhan Institute of Virology opened in January last year, Taiwan and Japan were the only East Asian nations that had level 4 labs, which are crucial assets for epidemiology research and work to counter biological weapons, the official said.
The Sansia facility is operated by National Defense University’s Institute of Preventive Medicine Research.
The institute has played a leading role in regional scientific research and provided a technological advantage, but Chinese advances pose a risk that the nation might lose its lead, the official said, adding that staying ahead in biological research is a top ministerial priority.
The five-year initiative would focus on platform development and sustainability, epidemiology research and biological warfare defense research, while improving laboratory equipment, as well as boosting personnel numbers and training over three years, the official said.
The ministry has found an architectural firm to refurbish the lab, while it is looking at US and Europe-based manufacturers for new equipment, they said.
The initiative is a necessary response to biological threats from China, terrorism or naturally occurring diseases, they said.
There are fewer than 30 level 4 labs in the world.
The South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017 said it was to open a new facility in Osong.
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