Abstract
In 2003, Taiwan experienced a laboratory-acquired infection (LAI) of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). To prevent similar LAIs from happening again, the Centers for Disease Control of Taiwan (Taiwan CDC) established a set of regulations for laboratory biological safety. The “Regulations Governing Management of Infectious Biological Materials and Collection of Specimens from Patients of Communicable Diseases” was promulgated in September 2005 to provide a legal basis for the control of infectious biological materials and management of related laboratory biosafety issues. This set of regulations has three core principles: (1) self-management, (2) autonomous notification, and (3) periodic assessment. With nearly three years since its implementation, this set of regulations has been duly modified to become easier for laboratories to follow. As long as industry, government, and academia continue their efforts and cooperate to design, build, and maintain safe biological laboratories, as well as instill a culture of safe laboratory practices, the laboratory-acquired infection rates in Taiwan will be minimized or even eliminated.