Introduction:

In geographical locations where diagnostic laboratory support is limited, infectious disease outbreaks such as the current COVID-19 pandemic can result in exceptionally high infection rates. The use of mobile laboratories can enhance the potential to detect, diagnose, and report any emerging infectious disease outbreak and inform public health authorities so that they can respond appropriately to limit and prevent potential pathogen transmission. Several resources were used to create this manual, National Health Vision Pakistan 2016–25, provincial health strategies, National Biosafety and Biosecurity Policy, 3 and the World Health Organization (WHO) Laboratory biosafety manual.
The purpose of this manual is to provide standardized guidelines on biosafety and biosecurity of mobile BSL-2 laboratories to enable and ensure maximum protection and monitoring against physical, biological, and environmental hazards.
The manual is designed to:
● Provide a safe working environment for mobile laboratory staff and related personnel
● Protect mobile laboratory staff from possible biological hazards
● Strengthen mobile laboratories’ staff capacity in biosafety and biosecurity
● Minimize physical and biological risks in operating mobile BSL-2 laboratories