Журнал биотерроризма и биозащиты

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Biohazard: Prevention, Personal Protection and Waste Management

Apoorva Saxena

Biological hazard poses a great threat to living organisms and can even prove fatal. It is extremely necessary to dispose of it by following the necessary protocols depending upon its biohazard level. There are various categories of biohazardous waste which should be identified, segregated, decontaminated and disposed of in a proper manner so that it can help reduce occupational exposure and prevent the risk of releasing into the environment. The perfect example of this would be the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak that the world is currently facing. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 and recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Social distancing, quarantining and self-isolation are crucial steps that the public is adopting to prevent themselves from getting infected and spreading it to others. Apart from this, the pandemic is also generating tons of biomedical waste that has to be safely discarded to prevent further spreading. This article gives a detailed overview on the definition of a biohazard, general preventive measures that can be adopted, waste management techniques and also throws light on how the world is coping up with the ongoing pandemic.