Thursday, Mar 28 2024
All Cities
Choose Your City
'Numer of endemic species in lake Baikal is 1,455'
0

Leading Siberian scientists protect Winter Olympics from threat of bio-terror virus attacks

By 0 and 0 and 0
10 February 2014

0

Vector State Virology and Biotechnology Research Centre is a major research and production centre focusing on molecular biology, virology, genetic engineering, biotechnology, and epidemiology. Picture: gamma-group.com

The testing kits can quickly diagnose the viruses linked to Marburg, Ebola, Lassa, Machupo, Dengue and Yellow fevers, explained Aleksander Agafonov, deputy director for science of the Vector State Virology and Biotechnology Research Centre, near Novosibirsk. The centre is internationally recognised as a world leader in its field. 

'Any person who contracts an illness in or around Sochi must be taken for checkups,' said Agafonov. 'The anti-epidemic crews consist of infection specialists and physicians who are capable of identifying the disease they are faced with'. The experts from high-security Koltsovo scientific town developed six test systems that they sent to Sochi in case Olympic participants or fans complaining about infectious diseases. 

'This is due to the fears of some Olympic Games participants, for example Japan, that by chance or deliberately viruses causing dangerous diseases can be delivered to Sochi,' said Dr Agafonov, according to a report in the Novosibirsk edition of Komsomolskaya Pravda. 'Some countries believe that bacteria causing dangerous disease can be deliberately brought into Sochi,' reported the newspaper.

Two independent tests are used to check for these deadly diseases, said the scientist, according to Itar-Tass news agency. In December 2013, the Vector researchers obtained an official permission from the Russian Health Ministry for application of these diagnostic kits in the country. 

The Tokyo subway was hit by bio-terrorist attacks using deadly sarin in March 1995, killing 13 people, seriously injuring around 50, and causing vision problems for hundreds more. 

Leading Siberian scientists protect Winter Olympics from threat of bio-terror virus attacks

The Tokyo subway was hit by bio-terrorist attacks using deadly sarin in March 1995. Picture: Metro Japan

It is also reported that Novosibirsk researchers have helped Russian law enforcement agencies in countering another kind of virus - to hit computers. 

The Institute of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences shared their developments in information protection to assist searches for criminals, preventing crimes as well as protecting secret information. 

Yuri Zybarev, deputy director of information technology at the institute, said: 'In fact the basic groundwork of the Sochi Olympics information security system was created here in Novosibirsk Akademgorodok'. 

The Vector State Virology and Biotechnology Research Centre, also known as the Vector Institute, is a major research and production centre focusing on molecular biology, virology, genetic engineering, biotechnology, and epidemiology. The centre was a trailblazer in inventing and launching the production of test systems for the HIV and Hepatitis B diagnostic justification, and manufactured the only internal vaccine against the Hepatitis A virus.

It is one of only two official repositories in the world for the now-eradicated smallpox virus. In Soviet times it was involved in biological warfare research.

Add your comment

We welcome a healthy debate, but do not accept offensive or abusive comments. Please also read 'Siberian Times' Privacy Policy

Name

Town/Country

Add your comments

The views expressed in the comments above are those of our readers. 'Siberian Times' reserves the right to pre-moderate some comments.

Control code*

Type the code

* obligatory


News

Business

The Bank of Russia official exchange rates of foreign currencies
EUR100.27USD92.59GBP116.93Other...