Dr. Stefan Wagener, chief administrative officer and scientific director for Biosafety and Environment at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, anticipates the introduction of similar restrictions in Canada, on the animal side as well as on the human health side. Currently, the Canadian system imposes many of the same safety and security features already in place in the U.S., he says. Other measures are under evaluation or reevaluation. In some areas, regulations even go a step beyond the directives American labs must follow.

"We had work restrictions on pathogens even before the recent CDC ruling came into effect," says Wagener.

As an example, he cites the national requirement for annual certification for all containment labs, a process the U.S. still hasn't implemented. To work with a human pathogen requiring a permit, Canadian labs must document that they have the facilities, people, and procedures to work safely with that organism.

"To maintain the level of exchange and working relationships we currently enjoy with the U.S., equivalent measures will have to be in place," Wagener states.

NZS

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