The risk of new epidemics in the world is high and Africa is especially vulnerable to these challenges, Russia, for its part, is ready for the most active cooperation in the healthcare field, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"The risk of new global epidemics and the spread of already known dangerous diseases remains very high. The African continent is particularly vulnerable to these challenges and needs to accelerate the development of medical, scientific and technological capabilities to protect the population from various infections. And Russia, for its part, is ready for the most active cooperation in this most important branch of health care," the president said.
The president noted that the program of assistance to African countries in the field of sanitary and epidemic welfare, launched in 2023, provides for the delivery of ten mobile laboratories of high biological protection, training of more than 350 African specialists, as well as a series of joint scientific researches.
The conference participants - representatives of specialized government agencies and services, doctors, epidemiologists, microbiologists from two dozen countries - will be able to exchange professional developments, experience in preventing and responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases, Putin emphasized.