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The following Reuters article has more detail: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-fighting-abates-overnight-allowing-more-people-flee-2023-04-25/ https

by cs702 4y ago

The following Reuters article has more detail: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-fighting-abates-overnight-allowing-more-people-flee-2023-04-25/ https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-fighting-abates-o... Quoting: > ... the WHO's Nima Saeed Abid said gunmen had thrown technicians out of the National Public Health Laboratory. "This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available," he said. A pathogen escaping an obscure lab in Africa is probably the last thing the world needs right now :-(

Genbox 4y ago
Unless the fighters plan to innocolate themselves onsite with the refrigirated samples, then I don't think we have much to worry about. Both cryopreserved and cryodesiccation viruses needs special handling. I don't think these fighters are mastermind terrorists, but in case I'm wrong, then I hope survaliance is keeping track of cryotransports and some carrier group can be convinced to take action with a short notice.
- cs702 4y ago
  Thank you. That's helpful to know! :-)
- LorenPechtel 4y ago
  I do not think there is any *direct* threat--only airborne pathogens could escape on their own and that would require a lot more than just thawing out. However, I do think there's some risk--looting. Something dangerous might be unknowingly carried out of there and there's a variety of pretty nasty things they might have samples of.
jonas_kgomo 4y ago
Another expert said: The situation doesn't sound globally dangerous - but you don't want to get a cholera, polio or measles outbreak there right now. Hard to judge risk: more likely stuff gets destroyed than spreads. https://twitter.com/anderssandberg/status/1650870860247441408 https://twitter.com/anderssandberg/status/165087086024744140...

3 ms·

The following Reuters article has more detail: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-fighting-abates-overnight-allowing-more-people-flee-2023-04-25/ https

by cs702 4y ago

Genbox 4y ago
Unless the fighters plan to innocolate themselves onsite with the refrigirated samples, then I don't think we have much to worry about. Both cryopreserved and cryodesiccation viruses needs special handling. I don't think these fighters are mastermind terrorists, but in case I'm wrong, then I hope survaliance is keeping track of cryotransports and some carrier group can be convinced to take action with a short notice.
- cs702 4y ago
  Thank you. That's helpful to know! :-)
- LorenPechtel 4y ago
  I do not think there is any *direct* threat--only airborne pathogens could escape on their own and that would require a lot more than just thawing out. However, I do think there's some risk--looting. Something dangerous might be unknowingly carried out of there and there's a variety of pretty nasty things they might have samples of.
jonas_kgomo 4y ago
Another expert said: The situation doesn't sound globally dangerous - but you don't want to get a cholera, polio or measles outbreak there right now. Hard to judge risk: more likely stuff gets destroyed than spreads. https://twitter.com/anderssandberg/status/1650870860247441408 https://twitter.com/anderssandberg/status/165087086024744140...