Pat;s Note: I wish our MPs would go back to doing something less
damaging like creative expense account managing.
Pirbright is a rat hole of incompetent scientists run by civil service
crooks. Any real capable scientists left for foreign shores years ago.
Britain has an appalling record of animal and human health epidemics
with many escapes from labs. She is a danger to world health.
Don't throw money at failures, shut the place, make the staff
redundant, remove the gongs that fuel the system and audit the books
to see how many liars, data fakers and cheats you can legitimately
prosecute.
Buy the science in from countries that keep their scientists under
proper supervision.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1029208/Deadly-diseases-escape-laboratories-Government-funding-neglect.html
'Deadly diseases could escape from laboratories because of Government
funding neglect'
By David Derby****re
Last updated at 12:30 AM on 25th June 2008
Some of the deadliest and most contagious diseases in the world could
escape from British laboratories unless the Government ends decades of
neglect, MPs warn today.
They say the security at research centres working with diseases such
as anthrax and ebola is being put at risk by poor maintenance and
penny-pinching bureaucrats.
Conditions at the Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright in Surrey -
where foot and mouth disease escaped last year - and at the ageing
Health Protection Agency lab at ****ton Down in Wilt****re are singled
out as particularly bad.
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee warns in a
re****t that there is a risk of another 'devastating' leak unless
biosecurity is taken more seriously.
Ten laboratories in Britain work with the most dangerous types of
viruses and bacteria.
These 'level four' containment facilities store samples of anthrax,
bird flu and bubonic plague and carry out research into the diseases.
Another 600 sites are allowed to work on less dangerous diseases.
MPs describe some facilities as 'world class' - but warn that others
had been badly maintained.
'This must be rectified to ensure the incident at Pirbright is not
repeated,' the re****t says.
'A number of high containment laboratories have been neglected and the
funding situation is uncertain.
'The Government must ensure that dependable funding is provided to
maintain such facilities safely.'
The re****t calls for a single Government minister to take
responsibility for biosecurity.
The official inquiry into last year's foot and mouth outbreak said it
was caused by shoddy biosecurity at the Government-funded Institute
for Animal Health at Pirbright.
The virus was in waste water leaving the plant but rather than being
destroyed it escaped from a cracked drain.
It leaked into a field and was spread to neighbouring farms on the
tyres of builders' lorries.
Eight farms were infected, thousands of animals destroyed and farmers
lost millions because of livestock restrictions.
The MPs' re****t says decisions are needed urgently on the future of
Pirbright, while the redevelopment of ****ton Down should be considered
a priority.
'It is not acceptable that scientists at Health Protection Agency
****ton Down are asked to work in such ageing facilities,' it says.
The committee also calls for improved vetting of staff working at high
containment laboratories.
Although foot and mouth is highly contagious in animals, it does not
pose a health risk to humans.
But the accidental release of a disease such as ebola could be
devastating. In Africa - where the disease is passed from animals to
humans - it kills up to 85 per cent of victims.
Committee chairman Phil Willis said: 'The outbreak of foot and mouth
disease at Pirbright highlights that in the long run, proper
regulation, running and maintenance of high containment facilities is
considerably cheaper than remedying a breach of bio-containment.'
--
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com
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