Sputnik Kazakhstan correspondent visited a laboratory built by Americans, where a collection of strains of especially dangerous infections is stored
The management of the Central Reference Laboratory (CRL) in Almaty decided to debunk the numerous myths that the laboratory has grown over during construction and in the first year of operation. The diplomatic corps and journalists were invited to the open day, among whom was a Sputnik correspondent.
Don't touch anything
The invitees were asked to arrive in advance - the facility is secure, with special control. You begin to understand this as soon as you see the police officers on duty near the checkpoint. Entrance to the territory is only according to pre-approved lists.
And that's not all: before entering, the CRL staff conduct briefings for visitors.
The building of the central reference laboratory outside / Sputnik / Daniyar Dautaliev.
The door to the museum, where especially dangerous pathogens are kept / Sputnik / Daniyar Dautaliev.
Promotional video:
“Do not touch anything, there are strains of plague, cholera, do not press any buttons,” the guards say before letting the journalists inside.
What is CRL and why does Kazakhstan need it
Before the start of the excursion, a small conference was held for the visitors. The diplomats were told that the laboratory will allow Kazakhstan to rise to a new level in ensuring biological safety and responding to outbreaks of especially dangerous infections.
The TsRL was built on the basis of the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections (formerly a plague research institute).
The laboratory is located in a separate four-story building and is run by the Ministry of Health, but it is staffed by representatives of three government agencies: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education and Science.
The construction of the reference laboratory began in 2010. Its cost is $ 80 million, which was issued by the US government. Construction was completed in 2017, at the same time the laboratory was put into operation.
Systems for sewage water treatment / Sputnik / Daniyar Dautaliev.
"On the part of the Americans, this is sponsorship assistance, justified by the fact that migration processes can create, albeit a remote, but a threat for them (USA - approx.), Because the infectious diseases characteristic of Kazakhstan are completely new for them," said the head Department of Epidemiological Surveillance of the Public Health Committee Roza Kazhapova.
A special shower for the eyes is installed in each laboratory / Sputnik / Daniyar Dautaliev.
She noted that the United States continues to partially finance the maintenance of the building. The laboratory will move completely to the maintenance of Kazakhstan in two years. Only citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan work in the CRL.
The first fruits of the work of the CRL appeared last year: here the diagnosis of Dengue fever was established and confirmed in six people who arrived in the country from abroad. Cases of cholera and malaria have also been confirmed.
Why in Almaty
Foreign diplomats were interested in why Almaty, a city located in a zone of seismic activity, was chosen for the construction of the facility.
“Many factors were taken into account when choosing a site for construction. For example, there is an Institute for Biosafety and Biosecurity in Otar, but it takes three to four hours to get there. Another factor: it will be quite difficult to attract highly qualified specialists from ministries to a place that is located in the middle of the steppe and outside the benefits of civilization. Another important factor is the accessibility and proximity of the airport,”Yerlan Ramankulov, Director General of the National Center for Biotechnology, answered the diplomats' question.
Foreign diplomats talk with specialists from the Central Research Laboratory / Sputnik / Daniyar Dautaliev.
The chief engineer of the reference laboratory Pavel Belyaev said that the building is equipped with the most modern security system. To enter the so-called "museum", where dangerous pathogens are stored, a person must overcome three degrees of protection: first, he must be checked at the checkpoint, then he must get into the building, and only then into the museum-storage itself.
“The safety of employees who work with pathogens and the safety of the environment is ensured by artificially created negative pressure. In each laboratory, it is adjusted to the individual room. If an accident occurs, the contaminated material will not come out in any way, it will come out only through filtration,”Belyaev assured.
According to the chief engineer of the laboratory, the building will withstand even a nine-point earthquake.
Is it possible to develop bacteriological weapons?
And about. Yerlan Sansyzbayev, director of the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections, said that the laboratory stores strains of plague, cholera, tularemia, anthrax, and brucellosis. But the exact number of strains cannot be found out - classified information.
He also commented on the likelihood of developing bacteriological weapons in such a laboratory.
“In theory, this is impossible, because building weapons requires a very large infrastructure, not just one museum. Previously, entire enterprises were engaged in this, there could be 10-12 such laboratories to create bacteriological weapons. It is impossible here,”Sansyzbayev assured.
To another question about what caused the generosity of the Americans, who undertook the construction of a laboratory in distant Kazakhstan, Sansyzbayev replied that the US is building similar institutions around the world at its own expense - "as a preventive measure."
“The infection has no boundaries,” he summed up.
Author: Daniyar Dautaliev