Wellington, March 2 NZPA - A new biosecurity response unit was opened near Wellington today, designed to handle serious outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Biosecurity Minister David Carter says it is a centralised co-ordination and emergency response centre, and the need for it was highlighted by the bird flu and swine flu outbreaks.

The unit is in the Government's National Centre for Biosecurity and Infectious Disease in Wallaceville, Upper Hutt.

It would be used to accommodate large numbers of staff from different organisations when they have to manage a serious outbreak, Mr Carter said.

"We are now able to cluster the largest concentration of bacteriologists, virologists and epidemiologists specialising in animal and human health in New Zealand under one roof," he said.

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