2023-04-26 13:11:37
The seizure of a laboratory in Khartoum, the capital of Sudangenerates a “high risk” of a chemical or biological accident, as recognized yesterday by the World Health Organization (WHO). On the tenth day of clashes between the armed forces and the paramilitary faction Fuerza de Rapid Support (RSF)the occupation of the National Public Security Laboratory generates worldwide concern, since its facilities contain samples of measles, cholera and polio pathogensin addition to other dangerous elements.
The WHO representative in the African nation, Nima Saeed Abid, acknowledged that, so far, the technicians have not been able to access the laboratory to secure the materials and control the situation, a new episode in a conflict that has already caused 459 deaths and 4,072 injuries. The official did not specify the exact location of the place or which side was responsible for the seizure, although he warned that “they kidnapped all the laboratory technicians, which are now completely under the control of one of the fighting parties as a military base.”
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The situation represents a “huge biohazard,” Abid insisted. He anger It is an acute diarrheal disease, which can cause death within hours if left untreated. He measles it is highly contagious, as is polio, which largely affects children under the age of five.
At a global level, the sustained increase in level 4 laboratories, dedicated to studying lethal pathogens, worries the scientific community. Although they have doubled in the last decade, many countries lack robust monitoring policies. In Argentina two work. At the end of 2019, the Special Federal Operations Group of the Federal Police visited the Senasa, in Martínez, to review hypotheses of attacks, such as “the contamination of the city throwing a strain stolen from the laboratory into the water distributor.” Given the latest events, the need for prevention is stronger than ever.
MVB JL
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