WHO urges Ukraine to destroy “high-risk pathogens” in the country’s public health laboratories

The World Health Organization says it has alerted Ukraine to the need to destroy high-risk pathogens in the country’s public health laboratories. News provided by Reuters

The World Health Organization has advised Ukraine to destroy high-risk pathogens found in the country’s public health laboratories, with the aim of preventing “any potential leak” that would be responsible for spreading the disease through the population, Reuters reported Friday. .

Biosecurity experts told Reuters that the move of Russian forces into Ukraine and the bombing of several cities increased the risk of pathogens spiraling out of control if any public health facilities were damaged.

Ukraine has public health laboratories that have ongoing investigations into technologies to mitigate threats from serious diseases in animals and humans, including, most recently, Covid-19. Its laboratories have received support from the United States, the European Union and the World Health Organization.

In response to Reuters questions about working with Ukraine before and during the Russian invasion, the WHO said it had worked with Ukraine’s Public Health Agency for several years to promote safety practices that help prevent “accidental or intentional release of pathogens”.

As part of this work, the World Health Organization has strongly recommended the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and other bodies to destroy all high-risk pathogens to prevent potential spills.A WHO source told Reuters.

However, the WHO did not say when the recommendation was issued, nor did it provide details of the types of pathogens or toxins found in Ukraine’s laboratories.