Biosafety

1. Definition

Biosafety consist of 2 words: Bio (biology) and safety, means protection to potentially harms from infection agents including.

Infective Microorganism were classified into 4 risk group:

Risk group 1 (no/low individual and community risk)

Risk group 2 (moderate individual and low community risk)

Risk Group 3 (high individual and low community risk)

Risk Group 4 (high individual and community risk)

If there is a limitation of information, the epidemiological data and patient history can be used to asses the risk.

Biosafety level is divided into 4 level based on the composite of design features, construction, containment facilities, equipment, practices and operational procedures.

Biosafety level1 - basic

Biosafety level 2 - basic

Biosafety level 3 - containment

Biosafety level 4 - maximum containment

The backbone of Biosafety is Risk Assessment that performed by professional judgement as the laboratory director responsibility. This should be reviewed routinely and revised if required.

All Izz Well

Komang Andika, my brother in law, has arrived in Wollongong yesterday. Andi picked him up in the Sydney airport by train. We know that winter season is not a good time for holiday for him because of its extremity in weather difference with Bali. In the morning the weather can be very cold below 5 degree even sometimes minus 2 degree then 10 to 15 degree in the mid day. In contrast to Bali, the weather mostly hot that vary from 30-40 degree. Hope he can adapt soon with this kind of situation so he can enjoy his journey here. Imagine how excited Lita when she knew his "Om Upik" will come. She looks happy, talkative and asks more attention from Upik and ayah. She show how she can eat by herself and explain everything she knew to Upik.

We watched an Indian movie brought by Upik last night. "3 Idiots", a quite long duration movie like other Indian movies but we really enjoy it. It was a story about friendship between 3 students in a college for mechanical engineering, Rancho, Raju and Farhan. They are come from a different family background. Raju's dad used to be a postman but his stroke make him laying on the bed, meanwhile mum working hard for taking care of her family. His family hope he can be engineer so can take offer the family backbone and earn money for his sister marriage. Unfortunately his marks always at the bottom ranks in the class, and his friends called him idiot. Meanwhile Farhan, is a good son from middle class family, but his interest is in wild animals photography instead of engineering. His father think that he can not have money from that kind of profession and push him to be an engineer. Raju's marks in the class is slightly different with Farhan, ranks number 2 from the bottom. Rancho, is the hero in this story. He has made his friends to wake up that they should follow his heart and never be afraid of anything. "All izz well", say it when problem come to you. In a short, his friends realized and move on with his interest and the are become successful even not rich but happy.

As usual, I always cry when watching Indian movies. It was really great movie. "All izz well"

A surprise news....

It was a very busy day when I spent my 31st b'day in my working place. "Happy B'day to Asti" was written on the noticeboard and almost all my friends gave me lots of greetings. Unfortunately, plenty of works have made us came back to Wollongong very late at around 6.00 pm on that day. I was very tired when entering my home. Suddenly it was gone when I saw my clean house and welcome smiles of Lita and my beloved hubby Andi. He has cooked my favorite dishes; sate lilit, lawar, sambal sereh and nasi kuning. All of them have been served on the table. Lita also gave me a rose and her own card saying "Happy Birthday to Asti". My happy night completed after 30 minutes latter my best friend family came brought a birthday cake and spent the night together.

Another surprise was coming when I checked my email on that night. "Dear Dr. Palupi, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate and granted a fellowship by TDR?WHO Geneva for the Advance course of Immunology, vaccinology and biotechnology applied to TB". This email has made my plan change in the very short time. I should leave Andi behind to finish his study without us and return to Jogja soon. My mind think that God has a new plan for me and question come to me: is this the best for us?....

Funding for New Diagnostics of MDR-TB

As repoted in http://www.worldcarecouncil.org/content/finally-good-news-mdr-tb-diagnostics-are-coming by Comrades, there is a new agreement signed between UNITAID, WHO, FIND, GLI and GDF for supporting the new diagnostics for MDR TB.

MDR TB (Multi Drugs Resistance of Tuberculosis), a condition that there are resistance cases to more than one TB drugs that caused TB treatment unsuccessful. This has made the case increased and needed new diagnostic for MDR TB and new drugs as well.

The project called EXPAND TB (Expanding access to new diagnostics for TB) which goal is to accelerate access to diagnosis for patients at risk of MDR TB. These are the partners:

UNITAID, is giving fund $ 26 million and will be expanded to $ 87 million for the project. The 16 targeted countries (2008 - 2011) are: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Myanmar, Lesotho, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam. The next project (2011-2013) will be included 11 other countries: Cameroon, Djibouti, Haiti, India, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Senegal, Swaziland and Zambia.

This is a good opportunity for Indonesia as a high burden countries for TB cases in world to strengthen the Laboratory access for new diagnostics. Supplyng the tools and training for laboratory test.