Novossiolova Tatyana A, Whitby Simon, Dando Malcolm, Pearson Graham S
Research Fellow, Law Program, Center for the Study of Democracy, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Senior Lecturer, Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.
One Health Outlook. 2021 Sep 20;3(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s42522-021-00049-4.
Biological threats are complex and multifaceted, as evidenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their effective prevention and countering require multiple lines of collaborative action and sustained cross-sectorial coordination. This paper reviews the conclusions of Graham Pearson's 1997 JAMA article titled 'The Complementary Role of Environmental and Security Biological Control Regimes in the 21st Century', taking into account the international policy developments that have occurred over the past two decades. The paper underscores the utility of the concept of a 'web of prevention' for elucidating the need for continuous interaction between the international biosafety and international biosecurity regimes, in order to ensure that the life sciences are used only for peaceful purposes. The terms 'biosafety' and 'biosecurity' are used to denote the primary purpose of the two regimes: the international biosafety regime seeks to prevent the unintentional (accidental) release of pathogens and toxins, including naturally occurring disease, whereas the biosecurity regime seeks to prevent the deliberate release and misuse of pathogens and toxins. The paper concludes by recommending practical steps for strengthening the implementation of all elements of the web of prevention and upholding the norms against the hostile misuse of life sciences.
生物威胁是复杂且多方面的，当前的新冠疫情便是明证。对其进行有效预防和应对需要多方面的协同行动以及持续的跨部门协调。本文回顾了格雷厄姆·皮尔森1997年发表在《美国医学会杂志》上题为《21世纪环境与安全生物控制制度的互补作用》的文章结论，并考虑了过去二十年中发生的国际政策发展情况。本文强调了“预防网络”概念对于阐明国际生物安全和国际生物安保制度之间持续互动必要性的作用，以确保生命科学仅用于和平目的。“生物安全”和“生物安保”这两个术语用于表示这两种制度的主要目的：国际生物安全制度旨在防止病原体和毒素的无意（意外）释放，包括自然发生的疾病，而生物安保制度旨在防止病原体和毒素的故意释放和滥用。本文最后建议采取切实可行的步骤，以加强预防网络所有要素的实施，并维护反对恶意滥用生命科学的规范。
