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State Department Sponsors Workshop to Train Guinean Scientists on Safe and Secure Laboratory Practices
3 MINUTE READ
March 18, 2019

Guinean participants practice donning protective equipment. The white powder glows under ultraviolet light and helps test how carefully internal procedures were followed.

From March 5-9, 2019, trainers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories (DOE/SNL) provided classroom and hands-on instruction on biorisk management fundamentals to 30 Guinean laboratory and biological science professionals from the Guinean public health, academic, and law enforcement sectors.  The training was held in Kindia, Guinea at the Ecole National de Santé Publique de Kindia (National Public Health School of Kindia).  To help these Guinean scientists prevent and manage another deadly disease outbreak, the training focused on developing laboratory standard operating procedures for donning and doffing personal protective equipment, decontamination of laboratory spills, and safely and securely disposing of biohazardous waste.

DOE/SNL trainers and the BEP sponsor pose with a participant during the closing ceremony. The traditional Kindian clothes were a gift from the Guinean trainees to DOE/SNL and BEP.

Guinean partners expressed great satisfaction with the training and offered heartfelt promises of how they would work hard to pass on the skills they learned to their colleagues.  The training was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Biosecurity Engagement Program