biosecurity

bio·se·cu·ri·ty | \ ˌbī-(ˌ)ō-si-ˈkyu̇r-ə-tē

Definition of biosecurity

: security from exposure to harmful biological agents also : measures taken to ensure this security

Examples of biosecurity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Brendan Murphy, Australia's chief medical officer, said biosecurity staff and state health officials in New South Wales are meeting flights from Wuhan and distributing pamphlets about the virus printed in English and Chinese to all passengers. — Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY, "Coronavirus: Here's what airlines and airports are doing to screen, safeguard passengers," 23 Jan. 2020 The idea of administering tattoos en masse may not be well received, adds Kendall Hoyt, a biosecurity expert at Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine who wasn’t involved in the study. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "This Spiky Patch Could Invisibly Record Vaccination History Under Skin," 18 Dec. 2019 The visit also involved the opening of a joint forest biosecurity research lab between NAU and Tyumen State University. — Rachel Leingang, azcentral, "NAU President Rita Cheng will repay part of travel spending criticized by audit," 14 Jan. 2020 Arguments about whether customs rules are protectionism or necessary health and biosecurity measures are some of the most bitter and protracted disputes in trade. — Washington Post, "Don’t Blame Politics for China’s Ban on U.S. Pork," 19 Sep. 2019 The report reveals that the trade also presents biosecurity risks, with unhygienic practices encouraging the spread of diseases such as anthrax, tetanus and equine flu. — Jack Guy, CNN, "Donkey population decimated by Chinese medicine demand," 21 Nov. 2019 Thousands have been assigned to enforce quarantines and beef up biosecurity practices at border farms; 2,000 checkpoints have been set up to restrict movements of people and livestock and decontaminate vehicles. — Washington Post, "North Korea seen as weak link as swine fever spreads in Asia," 17 Oct. 2019 The Chinese government already has culled millions of pigs, instituted new biosecurity measures, and ramped up efforts to find a vaccine for the fever, which currently does not exist. — Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, "The Trade War Is Keeping U.S. Pork Producers From Capitalizing on China’s Pig Crisis," 30 Sep. 2019 Already practicing rigorous biosecurity before the outbreak by requiring visitors to dress in protective gear and sanitize their vehicles before and after visiting their farms, the company hasn’t had any sick birds. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, latimes.com, "To stop a virus, California has euthanized more than 1.2 million birds. Is it reckless or necessary?," 7 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biosecurity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about biosecurity

Dictionary Entries near biosecurity

Statistics for biosecurity

Last Updated

31 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Biosecurity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biosecurity. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for biosecurity

biosecurity

noun

bio·se·cu·ri·ty | \ ˌbī-ō-si-ˈkyu̇r-ə-tē

Medical Definition of biosecurity

: security from exposure to harmful biological agents (such as pathogenic microorganisms) You would expect the organisation responsible for ensuring biosecurity in labs working with dangerous animal pathogens like foot and mouth disease to know about any accidents that have occurred in those labs.— Linda Geddes, New Scientist, 22 Dec. 2007 also : measures taken to ensure this security In areas where poultry farms are on adjoining or nearby properties or in areas tied together by common waterways, roads, or flyways, the risk of disease spread from one farm to another is greatly increased no matter what type of biosecurity is practiced by individual farms. — Carol J. Cardona, in Avian Influenza, 2008