The World Health Organization (WHO) advises Ukraine to destroy high-risk pathogens stored in public health laboratories in the country to prevent the potential spread of disease to humans.
WHO suggests Ukraine get rid of all pathogens from laboratories
Published March 11, 2022 11:36
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Biosecurity experts say Russian military aggression - including bombing Ukrainian cities - has increased public health risks if any of the laboratories are damaged. WHO has been cooperating with Ukrainian laboratories for several years, supporting their level of safety. Detailed information about the types of pathogens or toxins in laboratories in Ukraine is not known.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday reiterated a long-held Russian claim that the United States was running a biological weapons laboratory in Ukraine, which Washington and Kyiv have repeatedly denied. A US government spokesman strongly denied the accusations by Zakharova, saying Russia could use its claims as an excuse to deploy its own chemical or biological weapons to Ukraine. The United Nations Security Council will meet today to discuss Moscow's alleged US and Ukrainian activities in the context of biological weapons, presented without any evidence.
The WHO statement did not address the topic of biological weapons. The agency said it encourages all parties to work together to safely remove all pathogens. The organization offered to help with technical guidance and coordination.
Source: Reuters
