Haiti Biosafety Lab Grand Opening

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On Wednesday, April 23 2014, the University of Florida inaugurated the new Biosafety Level 3 lab in Haiti. The 1,500-square-foot facility will be used to the train researchers to better understand and fight tuberculosis in Haiti.

Researchers that will be trained in this new BSL-3 lab will be part of the LNSP Training Program, an intense six-month training program that teaches Haitian researchers about rapid molecular TB diagnostics techniques and other diagnostic tests.The goal of the program is to build the capacity for better TB research and diagnostics resulting in the improvement of the health of the Haitian people.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Haiti has the highest rate of TB in the hemisphere, and that nearly 40 percent of the people with TB go undiagnosed.

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From left to right: Mohammed Rashid, Anthony Maureli, Michael Lauzardo, Karen Simpson, Meghan Nodurft-Froman, Lolia Fernandez,Mohammad Kan, Justin May, Afsar Ali, Glenn Morris, Meer Alam

The Gator Nation

Check out the article by the Associated Press via The Gainesville Sun