Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar praised Egypt’s ongoing cooperation with China at various levels, especially in the healthcare industry.
During a meeting with Acting Chinese Ambassador in Cairo Zhang Tao and his accompanying delegation on Monday, Abdel Ghaffar and Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat discussed a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) research lab project in Egypt.
Abdel Ghaffar said China had been selected as an implementation partner in this project due to its extensive experience in this industry.
He noted that Egypt’s efforts to establish this sort of facilities are meant to support national health security, boost readiness for facing any potential health emergencies, and shore up Egypt’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
The two sides discussed preparations for conducting feasibility studies and the potential site of the project.
Abdel Ghaffar emphasized the need to speed the project completion to create an enabling environment for research and diagnostic activities, develop the measures needed to counter pandemics and critical illnesses and manufacture vaccines used for regular immunization or counter-pandemic vaccines, while reducing collateral risks by adopting robust biosafety practices.
Earlier this year, a Chinese delegation visited many proposed sites for the project and made an introductory tour of Cairo University’s Faculty of Pharmacy, which hosts a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) research lab.
The delegation also visited a VACSERA vaccine factory in Agouza district in Giza Governorate, and another VACSERA-affiliated vaccine production factory in the 6th of October city of Giza.
VACSERA, the Egyptian Company for Production of Vaccines, Sera, and Drugs, is the sole producer of vaccines and sera in Egypt, and is a major blood bank. It is the oldest manufacturer of vaccines in Africa and the Middle East.
BSL-3 laboratories are used to study infectious agents or toxins that may be transmitted through the air and cause potentially lethal infections. Researchers perform all experiments in a biosafety cabinet. BSL-3 laboratories are designed to be easily decontaminated.
