The Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) is licensed by the Ministry of Economy, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) to work inside the HCU with viruses that can cause contagious animal diseases. CVI is the national reference institute for animal diseases in the Netherlands.
The HCU is specially designed and secured to prevent infectious particles from escaping the building. The HCU is divided in various areas with different levels of safety measures.
In case of suspicion of a viral notifiable disease such as foot and mouth disease (FMD), classical swine fever (CSF) and avian influenza (AI) samples taken from the animals are sent to CVI for diagnostic analysis. In the HCU research is also carried out to find new and better vaccines against animal diseases.
Most European countries have facilities like this HCU; in the Netherlands the unit in Lelystad is the only one of its kind.
