title: The NUITM-KEMRI P3 Laboratory in Kenya: Establishment, Features, Operation and Maintenance.
abstract: A biocontainment facility is a core component in any research setting due to the services it renders towards comprehensive biosafety observance. The NUITM-KEMRI P3 facility was set up in 2007 and has been actively in use since 2010 by researchers from this and other institutions. A number of hazardous agents have been handled in the laboratory among them MDR-TB and yellow fever viruses. The laboratory has the general physical and operational features of a P3 laboratory in addition to a number of unique features, among them the water-air filtration system, the eco-mode operation feature and automation of the pressure system that make the facility more efficient. It is equipped with biosafety and emergency response equipments alongside common laboratory equipments, maintained regularly using daily, monthly and yearly routines. Security and safety is strictly observed within the facility, enhanced by restricted entry, strict documentation and use of safety symbols. Training is also engrained within the operation of the laboratory and is undertaken and evaluated annually. Though the laboratory is in the process of obtaining accreditation, it is fully certified courtesy of the manufactures' and constructed within specified standards.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nairobi, Kenya (Virology group).
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wandera
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miringu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bundi
authors.forename: Chika
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.forename: Salame
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashur
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kwallah
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galata
authors.forename: Mwajuma
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abubakar
authors.forename: Sora
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suka
authors.forename: Shah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karama
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horio
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichinose
keywords: Kenya; P3 Laboratory