New pandemic?: China is questioned for the lack of safety in its laboratories

American epidemiologists warned about the risk of studying viruses with pandemic potential in laboratories with inadequate biosafety measures. The debate resurfaces after the discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 by Chinese researchers in conditions that experts consider insufficient.

Epidemiologists W. Ian Lipkin and Ralph Baric criticized the lack of controls in pathogen research in China. In an article published in The New York Times, they pointed out that work with high-risk viruses should only be conducted in facilities with the highest biosafety standards.

The focus of the controversy is HKU5-CoV-2, a new coronavirus identified in bats by scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other Chinese institutions. According to a study published in Cell, this virus can infect human cells via the ACE2 receptor, the same mechanism as SARS-CoV-2, which has raised concerns in the scientific community.

"We are concerned that some scientists are experimenting with viruses in ways that could put us all in danger," warned Lipkin and Baric.

China under scrutiny for its biosafety standards

One of the main criticisms is that experiments with HKU5-CoV-2 were not conducted in maximum security laboratories. Instead of using BSL-3 or BSL-4 level facilities, Chinese researchers studied the virus in a laboratory called  "BSL-2 plus", a category not officially recognized by international bodies like the CDC.

"This work was apparently approved by the local institutional biosafety committee and adhered to national biosafety standards, but it is not sufficient to work with a new virus that could present significant risks," the specialists warned.

The fact that China handles potentially pandemic viruses with less stringent standards than other countries reinforces concerns about safety in its laboratories. It is not the first time Beijing has been at the center of the debate for its practices in virological research, leading to increasing calls for greater international oversight.

Lack of global regulations and the role of the WHO

The debate over the safety of researching dangerous viruses is not new, but the lack of a uniform global framework allows certain countries, like China, to operate under more flexible standards. Lipkin and Baric argue that, although strict controls have been implemented in the United States, not all countries follow the same level of precaution.

"Scientists and policymakers in the United States have spent years discussing and debating how to regulate research on risky viruses, but this work is also done in other countries, and not all address safety issues in the same way," they indicated.

Experts urge the World Health Organization (WHO) to take a more active role in standardizing biosafety norms to prevent potential health risks. Without clear international regulations, the possibility that research in Chinese laboratories or other countries with lax measures could trigger future public health problems remains a latent threat.

Urgent measures to prevent a new pandemic crisis

Lipkin and Baric propose that institutions funding these studies require certifications of compliance with international biosafety standards. They also suggest that scientific journals adopt stricter criteria before publishing research on pathogens with pandemic potential.

The warnings from  the epidemiologists reinforce the need for greater control over practices in Chinese laboratories, in a context where research on dangerous viruses continues to generate controversy. The lack of clear regulations and permissiveness in certain countries could pose a serious risk to global security.