The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised Ukraine to destroy dangerous germs stored in research labs in the country.
The organization did this out of fear that the pathogens would be released by possible war damage to the buildings, the WHO reports to Reuters news agency. They could then spread among the population and cause disease.
The WHO declined to say when it was recommended or what germs were involved. It is also unknown whether Ukraine has followed the advice.
Ukraine has several laboratories where scientific research is done on infectious diseases. These laboratories cooperate with the WHO, the European Union and the United States. However, it is not known whether the violence of war-damaged such laboratories.
Russian troops have repeatedly attacked an institution in Kharkiv that conducts nuclear research. No radioactivity would have been released.
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