Author Archives: Francesc Xavier Abad
EBSA Conference, the diverse world of biosafety
This week, from April 27th to 28th, the Twentieth EBSA conference, the European Biosafety Association, will take place in Madrid.
Viral comments (33): Waste management: A case of infection by waste handling
Following a story recently published in El País about an occupational infection perhaps it is worth talking about the waste management process in a research centres like ours, and some derivatives.
Viral comments (32): H5N8 is already here … can we prevent the next one?
In the last post, a few days ago, we commented that H5N8 avian flu had reached the other side of the Pyrenees and that soon it would jump towards the Peninsula. A few days ago the detection of H5N8 strain was reported in two common geese (Anser anser) found dead in the lagoon of La Nava de Fuentes, in Palencia (Castilla y León). This detection was possible thanks to what we call passive epidemiological surveillance.
Viral comments (31): H5N8, if I were you I would rush to buy some “foie gras” right now
A few months ago, in September 2016, the United Nations agency for food and agriculture (FAO) warned of the spread of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, HPAI H5N8 on Lake Ubsu-Nur, in Russia. A few weeks later the virus had reached India and Europe. This would be the fourth wave of intercontinental propagation of an HPAI virus since 2005; The last one was 2014/2015. It is assumed that the main “guilt” would lie in the movements of migratory birds.
Viral comments (30): Viral safety, zoonoses and food, Europe, 2015
A little over a month ago the“The European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2015” was issued, a joint initiative of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Comentaris viruslents (29): MERS Coronavirus, nothing to declare? A bad idea
A month ago,”curious” news jumped. The Institute Pasteur Korea (IPK), in the person of one of its researchers, skipped all regulations on biological material transportation in a movement of MERS Coronavirus samples, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, and worse … it was not properly informed, nor did the Institute Pasteur in Paris.
Viral comments (28): Bio-risk management and its social derivatives
The text that follows contains my opening speech as President of the Spanish Association of Biosafety at the welcome session of the 3rd congress of the association, AEBioS held in Bilbao the past October 17th and 18th. That same day, several congress’ attendees told me they were pleased with the talk because it was an original and well engaged approach. Here’s a translated (from spanish) transcription of the speech:
IRTA-CReSA collaborates with the Course on Biosafety and Biocontainment strategies, from the UAB
The latest edition of the Postgraduate Course in Biosafety and Biocontainment strategies, which took place on the campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), between October the 3th and 7th has included the collaboration, as in previous editions, of IRTA-CReSA staff. This fifth edition definitely consolidates this “veteran” graduate course in biosafety and biocontainment as a benchmark for training in biosafety and biocontainment in Spain, as it has been fully booked and has left some applicants on the waiting list for the next edition. It is a symptom of the growing interest that these issues have among students, or those people simply interested in the various life sciences fields.
