Argentina inaugurates $295 million public lab to detect disease outbreaks

Argentina's Ministry of Health has launched a new public laboratory aimed at bolstering the nation's ability to detect and respond to disease outbreaks. The state-of-the-art facility, located within the Anlis Malbrán, represents a significant investment in public health infrastructure.

The new building, covering 540 square meters, was constructed with an investment of $295 million. This funding covered comprehensive upgrades to electrical systems, air extraction and treatment, scientific equipment installation, and technological adaptations. The laboratory will house the Sanitary Bacteriology, Enterobacteria, and Pathophysiology services.

This advanced center will be operated by a team of 30 specialists, including biochemists, biotechnologists, biologists, food scientists, bioinformaticians, and technicians. Their work will focus on characterizing microorganisms and generating critical information for the prevention and control of diseases spread through contaminated food and water. The facility integrates the National Network of Diarrhea and Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens and serves as a reference center for genomic surveillance in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Minister of Health Mario Lugones highlighted the lab's importance, stating, "A 110 years after its creation, Malbrán continues its trajectory of scientific excellence. Diseases transmitted by contaminated water or food require early detection, accurate diagnosis, and rapid response to protect the population. That is why we are putting this new space into operation to strengthen our work against these risks and improve our capacity to put the knowledge, technology, and work of its teams at the service of Argentines' health."

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A 110 years after its creation, the Malbrán continues its trajectory of excellence scientific. The diseases transmitted by water or food contaminated require detection early, diagnosis precise and response rapid to protect to the population. For this reason we put in operation this new space destined to strengthen the work in front of these risks and to improve its capacity to put the knowledge, the technology and the work of its teams to the service of the health of the Argentines.