In the face of intense fighting in the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned of a potential exit of high-risk virus samples from a laboratory. Russia’s Consumer and Health Protection Authority, Rospotrebnadsor, has published a statement in this regard.
According to the statement, the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Goma, on the border with Rwanda, has a laboratory where samples of hemorrhagic fever, including those of the Ebola virus, are stored. Against the backdrop of the armed conflict in the DRC, a power outage is currently being reported, which could lead to the exit of dangerous virus samples from the laboratory. The authority states:
“The activities of the laboratory are financed by the US Agency for International Development and the French Mérieux Foundation. This circumstance once again confirms the irresponsible approach of Western countries in dealing with dangerous infections on the territory of third countries, when biological facilities are created without corresponding infrastructure and samples of dangerous diseases are accumulated uncontrolled.”
According to the Russian authority’s statement, in the 21st century, almost half of the known cases (7 out of 16) of an exit of dangerous virus samples from biological laboratories in the United States have occurred. In the US facilities, contamination in the laboratory occurred in up to 80 percent of the cases, particularly in the case of dangerous diseases such as plague, anthrax, smallpox and the Ebola virus.
Earlier, the ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, expressed his concern about the “situation at the National Institute of Biomedical Research laboratory, where the risk of a power outage exists.” An exit could have “unthinkable consequences” he warned. It is important to protect the samples that could be affected by the fighting, Youssef said.
The DRC’s troops are fighting in the east of the country against the M23 rebel group, which, according to its own claims, has occupied the city of Goma on Monday. Demonstrators in Kinshasa demanded that the international community put pressure on Rwanda to end its alleged support for the M23. The militia is one of around 100 armed groups that are fighting for power in the eastern DRC – a resource-rich region with gold, coltan, cobalt and diamonds.