Biological Laboratory in the Hands of Fighters in Sudan: Will Epidemics Escape?

The World Health Organization warned today, Tuesday, of the emerging biological danger resulting from fighters taking control of the "measles and cholera" laboratory in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The laboratory contains pathogens for measles, cholera, polio, and other dangerous epidemics, which, if spread, could cause a disaster greater than the ravages of war. The organization's representative in Sudan, Nima Saeed Abed, stated that the organization's technical experts were unable to access the National Public Health Laboratory to secure the hazardous materials. He added, "What primarily concerns us is the inability of the technicians to safely go to the laboratory and contain biological materials and other substances." Abed refrained from mentioning which side had taken control of the facility.