Following the war in Ukraine, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged Ukraine to destroy disease-causing pathogens in its public health labs to avoid “potential spills” amid the Russian invasion.
The Kremlin’s deadly offensive has increased the risk of dangerous diseases leaking out if any of the facilities are damaged by shelling, Reuters reported, citing biosecurity experts.
According to the news agency, some of Ukraine’s public health laboratories – which have received support from the United States, the European Union, and the WHO – are studying how to mitigate threats from deadly viruses, including COVID-19.
The WHO told Reuters it has worked with Ukrainian laboratories for several years to promote safe practices that help prevent “the accidental or deliberate release of pathogens”.
“As part of this work, WHO has strongly recommended to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and other responsible agencies to destroy high-risk pathogens to prevent any potential spills,” the UN agency said. in an email.
The agency did not say when it made the recommendation and did not provide details about the types of pathogens or toxins harbored in Ukrainian labs. He also did not respond to questions about the follow-up to his recommendations.
Ukrainian officials in Kyiv and at their embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
On Wednesday, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman repeated the claim that the United States was operating a biological warfare laboratory in Ukraine, a charge that has been repeatedly denied by Washington and Kyiv.
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said documents found by Russian troops in Ukraine showed “an emergency attempt to erase evidence of military biological programs” by destroying laboratory samples.
Ukraine’s presidential spokesman said in response that Kyiv “strictly denies any such allegation”.
The US government has also strongly denied Zakharova’s accusations, saying Russia could use her claims as a pretext to deploy its chemical or biological weapons.
The WHO, whose statement did not refer to biological warfare, said it encouraged all parties to cooperate in “the safe and secure elimination of any pathogenic agent they encounter and to seek technical assistance if necessary”.
The UN Security Council will meet on Friday at Russia’s request to discuss Moscow’s allegations, presented without evidence, about US biological activities in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing diplomatic sources.
