National Public Health Laboratory crisis

A crisis at the National Public Health Laboratory in Khartoum, Sudan, started after it was seized by armed forces during the Sudan conflict in April 2023. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on 25 April 2023 that technicians had been expelled from the laboratory and were no longer able to access it.[1][2][3]

Background

A conflict in Sudan began on 15 April 2023 following clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces. Fighting was reported across Sudan, including in the capital Khartoum where the National Public Health Laboratory is located.[4][5][6][7]

Crisis

The laboratory contains polio, measles and cholera isolates. The WHO's representative in Sudan, Dr Nima Saeed Abid, said that "There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab in Khartoum by one of the fighting parties."[8][9] The WHO also warned that power outages were risking the containment of biological material and the storage of blood products.[1]

Shahinaz Bedri, the director of the laboratory, said "Several days ago, armed groups entered the lab, ordered our security staff who are trained to handle emergencies to leave. We are worried that there might be a bio-risk for them if they open fridges, because they go in and they sabotage."[10]

References
  1. "Sudan crisis: WHO warns of biological hazard at seized lab". BBC News. 2023-04-25. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  2. "WHO Assessing Risk After Fighters Seize Sudan Lab". VOA. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  3. "'High biohazard risk' as Sudan forces seize lab where pathogens stored". South China Morning Post. 2023-04-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  4. Salih, Zeinab Mohammed; Burke, Jason (2023-04-15). "At least 25 killed amid clashes between rival military factions in Sudan". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  5. Fulton, Adam; Holmes, Oliver (2023-04-25). "Sudan conflict: why is there fighting and what is at stake in the region?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  6. "What is happening in Sudan? The war explained". The Independent. 2023-04-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  7. Hatuqa, Elizabeth Melimopoulos,Dalia. "Sudan 'risks catastrophic conflagration': UN's Guterres". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  8. "Sudan fighting brings "huge biological risk" as lab holding samples of deadly diseases occupied, WHO warns". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  9. Field, Matt (2023-04-25). "WHO: biological hazard brewing in Sudan as fighters overtake a central public health lab". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  10. Naddaf, Miryam (2023-04-28). "'Armed groups entered the lab': Sudan's researchers flee violent military conflict". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-01478-z. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.