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Public Health Preparedness & Response

Biological Agents Registry

To counter possible threats to public health posed by intentional or accidental releases of biological agents, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law (G.S. 130A-149, recodified as 130A-479 in 2002) establishing the North Carolina Biological Agents Registry for potentially dangerous biological agents and toxins that are possessed and maintained in North Carolina. The biological agents reportable under North Carolina law are those listed as select agents External link in the Federal Register, 42 C.F.R. Part 72, and which are considered to have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety, to animal health, or to animal products. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) maintain the select agent list at www.selectagents.gov External link and reassess it at least every two years.

How to Register a Select Agent in North Carolina

Organizations or individuals who possess and maintain a microorganism, virus, bacterium, fungus, rickettsia or toxin listed as a "select agent" per the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) are required to complete a DHHS Biological Agents Registry Reporting Form (Microsoft Excel, 22KB / PDF, 7KB) and submit it to the Bioterrorism Coordinator within seven (7) days of receipt of the agent.

Follow the form instructions (PDF, 20KB) and send completed form to:

Bioterrorism Coordinator
Public Health Preparedness and Response Branch
N.C. Division of Public Health
1902 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1902
Phone: (919) 546-1820

The information that is reported to the BT Coordinator for the Biological Agents Registry is strictly confidential and can only be released by order of the State Health Director upon finding that the information is required in the course of a disease investigation or the investigation of a release, theft or loss of a biological agent.

Legal References

The rules for the administration of North Carolina's biological agents registry are contained in 10A NCAC 41 Subchapter A, Sections .0901-.0907:

  • Biological Agents Registry: 10A NCAC 41A .0901
  • Biological Agents to be Reported: 10A NCAC 41A .0902
  • When to Report Biological Agents: 10A NCAC 41A .0903
  • What Biological Agent Information to Report: 10A NCAC 41A .0904
  • Exemptions from Biological Agent Reporting: 10A NCAC 41A .0905
  • Security of Biological Agents: 10A NCAC 41A .0906
  • Release of Information in the Biological Agents Registry: 10A NCAC 41A .0907

N.C. General Statute: Biological Agents Registry; Rules; Penalties: § 130A-479

For Additional Information

 

NCDHHS