DDPS SAFETY LABORATORY PROJECT (SiLab)
Background
Experts are all agreed that protection against biological threats and hazards must be stepped up both nationally and internationally. Their stance has been borne out by the SARS and bird flu epidemics of recent years. Furthermore, it would appear that, despite the international Biological Weapons Convention, certain countries are still actively pursuing military bioweapons programmes. A future terrorist attack involving biological weapons is also not beyond the realms of possibility, particularly given the enormous advances which biotechnology has made in recent years and the likely impact these will have on bioweapon production.
One of the most important components of biological protection is the ability to detect pathogens which, when deployed intentionally or simply occur naturally, can lead to a biological incident (epidemic, bioterrorism etc.). To ensure the efficient management of such an emergency and the correct medical treatment, the given pathogen must be first identified and characterised. The necessary laboratory facilities to carry out such work must be in place if an outbreak is to be brought under control.
There is an undisputed civilian need for a laboratory which can handle highly pathogenic agents. Its tasks should include the development of detection methods as well as research projects which deal with preparedness for possible epidemics. This type of laboratory should also be able to provide a swift identification of any suspicious samples taken when an incident occurs.
At military level, the early recognition and detection of biological warfare agents is the job of the army’s biological experts (military biological service, today integrated within the NBC defence laboratory of the Swiss army). However, Switzerland does not have the necessary laboratory infrastructure to carry out tests on all types of agents, particularly highly infectious viruses with considerable bioweapon potential.
Given international guidelines and national legislation, Switzerland should have a laboratory of the highest biosafety level (BSL 4) where Risk Group 4 pathogens, such as Ebola or Marburg, can be identified.
Should certain epidemics occur today in Switzerland or there are suspicions that Risk Group 4 pathogens have been released, samples are sent to laboratories abroad for testing. The obvious delay involved may actually encourage the spread of an epidemic. Should a larger transnational incident occur, there is a risk that foreign laboratories will already be running at full capacity and unable to accept orders from Switzerland.
Since 1996, based on threat assessments and lacking laboratory capabilities, military and security policy circles have called for the creation of a BSL 3 and 4 laboratory which is able to detect the most dangerous potential biological warfare agents, such as Ebola, Marburg or Anthrax. The in-depth conceptual study of 22 October 2001 carried out by Medical Services Directorate (San LBA) sets outs the case for such a laboratory in detail.
The findings of this study were backed up by experiences of the anthrax attacks in the US and the suspected cases of anthrax contamination in Switzerland since 2001. It was clear that there was both a military and civilian need for a laboratory infrastructure which could rapidly detect special pathogens, particularly those in Risk Groups 3 and 4. The proposed SiLab project has taken these calls on boards and seeks to plug these serious gaps in Swiss bioprotection.
The DDPS safety laboratory enables the safe and rapid identification of potential biological warfare agents and special pathogens. Both military and civilian organisations will be able to avail of its services, whether It will be made available to the military and civilian circles to manage incidents and for research purposes.