The World Health Organization has pointed to the risk that these pathogens are “accidentally spread” and infect the population.
The World Health Organization “strongly recommended” that the Ministry of Health of Ukraine destroy possible “very dangerous pathogens” in its laboratories in order to avoid any risk of infection of the population due to the war that is raging in part of the country. The UN agency pointed to the risk of “accidental spread” of these pathogens.
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Aware of the concern that this recommendation, made public by Reuters, could pose in the wake of threats to civilian nuclear installations, the Organization has placed it in the broader context of its longstanding collaboration with the Ukrainian authorities to improve security at these facilities. .
The WHO, in its general advice on safety in laboratories, “always insists on a risk-based approach,” said Tarik Jasarevic, WHO spokesman, in an interview with the UN press office in Geneva. “Laboratories must always consider the situation they find themselves in and ensure that in the event of a threat, there is a way to safely eliminate pathogens that are commonly found in all these countries for medical reasons, and thus avoid accidental release.” , – Tarik Yasarevich emphasized.
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When asked by AFP in Geneva, WHO did not provide a list of laboratories in Ukraine, did not indicate their level of safety, and did not explain what pathogens might be found there. The representative was also unable to say whether the laboratory affected by these recommendations was located in one of the areas heavily shelled or occupied by the Russian army.