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WHO Official Reports ‘High Risk of Biological Hazard’ in Sudan after Fighters Seize Lab

WHO Official Reports ‘High Risk of Biological Hazard’ in Sudan after Fighters Seize Lab

The facility holds measles and cholera pathogens, as well as other hazardous materials.

In recent weeks, the two armed groups have been locked in a battle to control Sudan. This has led to an evacuation of the American embassy in the nation.

The U.S. military evacuated embassy personnel over the weekend, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the U.S. was considering resuming a diplomatic presence in the country to assist American citizens, many of whom are dual nationals. He said the State Department was in touch with private U.S. citizens to help them find routes to safety.

The U.S. was also assisting its citizens out of Port Sudan, the embassy in Khartoum said Tuesday on Twitter, adding that “border crossings into neighboring countries are possible but routes can be unpredictable or dangerous.”

And while conflicts in that region are nothing new, the World Health Organization has issued a disturbing warning about a ‘high risk of biological hazard” after fighters seized a laboratory.

Officials said it was unclear who was behind the occupation of the National Public Health Laboratory in the capital Khartoum.

The city has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The WHO told the BBC on Tuesday that workers can no longer access the lab.

And it warned that power cuts were making it impossible to properly manage material at the lab.

Officials said that a broad range of biological and chemical materials are stored in the lab. The facility holds measles and cholera pathogens, as well as other hazardous materials.

One official warned that laboratory technicians could not access the lab to contain the material.

Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, assigned to the post of WHO representative in Sudan, effective Aug. 4, 2020, addressed reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, via video link.

“There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab… by one of the fighting parties,” Abid said, as Agence France-Presse reported.

Abid added on the call that at least 459 people had been killed in fighting in Sudan and 4,072 injured…

At this point, one can only hope it is the standard strains of cholera and measles in that laboratory….as opposed to genetically enhanced versions.

I have often discussed measles in the post. In the interest of providing additional information, it might be a good moment to refresh our memories about cholera.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by intestine infection with the toxigenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Approximately 1 in 10 people who get cholera will develop severe symptoms such as watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps.

A person can get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water or food. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water. The infection is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk factor for becoming ill.

The US had three serious waves of cholera between 1832 and 1866. The last cholera outbreak in this country was in 1910–1911, when the steamship Moltke brought infected people from Naples to New York City.

Of course, there may be samples of other pathogens in that laboratory. Here’s hoping there isn’t a pandemic-scale consequence due to the Sudanese clash between generals.

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Comments

UnCivilServant | April 27, 2023 at 11:25 am

At this point, one can only hope it is the standard strains of cholera and measles in that laboratory….as opposed to genetically enhanced versions.

I’m going to doubt that those were the primary function of the lab. I expect Sudanese to start dying of something particularly nasty in the near future.

“Of course, there may be samples of other pathogens in that laboratory.”

Perhaps one should ask Fauci?

Right.. this announcement will be followed by demanding more money to deal with the latest crisis. Next week it it will be something else

2smartforlibs | April 27, 2023 at 11:45 am

Ya think? Maybe if our crocked government weren’t working worldwide to develop WMDs we wouldn’t need to worry about it.

American citizens, many of whom are dual nationals
Aha! That’s how we get to so many “American citizens” in Sudan, of all places!
Can we please stop this insanity of dual citizenship? It does not benefit the USA at all. You wanna get rescued from a foreign country, don’t be a citizen of said foreign country. PERIOD.

    CommoChief in reply to GWB. | April 27, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    Agreed no dual Citizenship, other than minor children who should have 6 months to choose when they hit 18 and register for Selective Service. Yes that means all young men and young women would be required to register which is only fair given the level of penalties for failure, the constant lectures about equality and general Karen ish drama from leftists.

    diver64 in reply to GWB. | April 27, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    Growing up on the Quebec border in New England I know quite a number of dual citizens. We used to travel back and forth over the border at will just waving to the Customs. My high school’s home hockey rink was in Quebec and I served in the Army with a number of them. Don’t paint all dual citizens with the same brush although I do agree with your sentiment. If you expect the American government to save you then become a citizen of this country.

      GWB in reply to diver64. | April 27, 2023 at 6:45 pm

      I won’t say all dual-citizens are bad people. But it certainly divides your loyalty – one direction or the other.

The infection is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk factor for becoming ill.
Hmmmm. Unless the person is doing that new fad, the “fecal transplant”. Or … can this be spread the same way so many pathogens can, via interpersonal (but impersonal) rectal engagement?

Neither of which are “casual contact”, admittedly. At least in most normal circles….

    henrybowman in reply to GWB. | April 27, 2023 at 2:38 pm

    I was pretty revolted by that term, but this looks to be a valid medical procedure. Also, it doesn’t seem to be a “cosmetic fad,” but a treatment for survivors of major gut disorders, of which there can’t be all that many comparatively.

      It is a legitimate treatment, it seems.
      But it’s also one of those that gets a lot of press, and makes it seem like the cure for a lot of things. (Hence, ‘fad’ in my little bit of rhetoric.)

      diver64 in reply to henrybowman. | April 27, 2023 at 5:24 pm

      It is and I heard about it a number of years ago. Don’t think I’ll be trying it anytime soon, though.

May I suggest a precision hit with some extraordinarily incendiary missiles?

Can’t be too safe in this time of hair trigger pandemic shutdowns…

NIH? CDC? Biden?

It sounds to me like the best option is to drop the MOAB on it and hope that the Heat and violence of the explosion kill all the germs.

    GWB in reply to Ironclaw. | April 27, 2023 at 4:13 pm

    A nuke would be preferable. Airburst above the lab and you vaporize any issues.
    Just hope there’s nothing that escapes because it’s buried just deep enough or something. Because then it will probably mutate from the radiation….

Suburban Farm Guy | April 27, 2023 at 3:50 pm

Look at that ‘lab.’ It’s a flimsy little tin shack. Is there even a padlock on there? LOL great place for dangerous biohazard experiments.

Africa…. smdh

Not a word about who is funding the biolab of course.