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Russia Will Continue to Help Congo-Brazzaville in Fight Against Infections

Denis Sassou Nguesso, the President of the Republic of the Congo, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday. On Thursday, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the potential for developing mutual relations as well as regional and global agendas.
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Russia will continue to help the Republic of Congo in the fight against infectious diseases; by the end of the year, it will train another 40 Congolese specialists and will also send the Republic a large laboratory, said the head of Rospotrebnadzor (the Russian consumer rights and human wellbeing watchdog) Anna Popova.

“We are transferring [to the Republic of the Congo] a large laboratory […] this year. A total of 30 people have already been trained in our anti-epidemic work technologies. And by the end of the year, another 40 people will be in Russia; we will train them,” she stated.

Russia Views Republic of Congo as Very Promising Country for Developing Relations, Kremlin States
Popova also recalled how, in 2023, Russia helped the Congo fight a large outbreak of intestinal infections. The epicenter of the outbreak was the city of Dolisie, the capital of the Niari department in the western part of the country.

“There was a large outbreak of intestinal infections, primarily typhoid fever. We received an order from our president, and a team immediately flew out. We took the laboratory with us, our colleagues worked very quickly. Within literally the first two weeks, the incidence rate decreased 16 times. By the end of the month — and my colleagues worked there for a month — they managed to completely eliminate the entire epidemic in the city,” the head of Rospotrebnadzor described what happened.

Popova noted that colleagues from the Congo gave the Russian specialists “a very high-quality, friendly welcome.”

“They were given the opportunity to be accommodated, provided with security, and given every opportunity to work,” she explained, adding that Russian and Congolese specialists worked together. “An important result and an important continuation.”

Popova's statement came against the backdrop of growing cooperation between the two countries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on Thursday that Russia sees the African country as a "very, very promising" and "friendly" state, noting that there is a lot of room for growth.
At the end of May, Russia revealed its intention to expand its collaboration with another African country — Chad. Oleg Salagay, the State Secretary-Deputy Minister of Health of Russia, stated that this expansion covers medical education, the supply of medicines and medical products, and the training of Chadian medical professionals in institutions overseen by the Russian Ministry of Health.