Chief expert of the NSDC on biosafety at a meeting in Mykolaiv: We must be ready for bioterrorism and artificial epidemics

Preparedness for bioterrorism and man-made epidemics should be among the priorities for Ukraine, especially in times of war.

This was stated by the chief biosafety expert of the NSDC, Doctor of Medical Sciences Nataliia Vynohrad during a meeting held on August 20 in Mykolaiv, NikVesti reports.

The meeting was organized by the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration in cooperation with the Public Health Center and the World Health Organization. The event was attended by representatives of local authorities, medical institutions and specialists in infectious diseases, who discussed preparedness for possible epidemic challenges.

«We must be ready not only to indicate problems we are used to, but also to respond to unusual situations, such as an artificially created epidemic process, so as not to use the words bioterrorism or biological weapons every time. This includes the readiness to introduce restrictive measures, such as quarantine, and ensuring the ability of the medical network to repurpose itself in the event of mass damage to the population,» Nataliia Vynohrad noted.

She also emphasized that if the situation hypothetically required the introduction of a general quarantine, it could include strict control measures, including with the help of the military.

«If we introduce a big quarantine, no one will leave or pass from here. Two rings of soldiers with machine guns, who have a command to shoot on impression. This is quarantine,» said the expert.

Nataliia Vynohrad also drew attention to the need for interdepartmental cooperation and clear regulation of interaction between services in case of emergency situations.

«How you will act in case of isolated cases or mass damage — must be clearly written and worked out. The main thing is to minimize losses and ensure the protection of personnel,» she concluded.

The participants of the meeting also considered the possibilities of strengthening the material and technical base of local medical institutions, in particular in the field of laboratory diagnostics and providing the necessary resources for the indication and verification of probable epidemic threats.

We will remind that the President of the Ukrainian Association of Infectious Diseases, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Olha Holubovska during her visit to Mykolaiv announced the possibility of a new pandemic, which may be even more dangerous than the previous ones.