Belarus: EU and WHO deliver equipment for research of genomes of infectious disease agents

With the support of the European Union, the World Health Organisation (WHO ) Country Office in Belarus has purchased and delivered equipment for research of genomes of infectious disease agents to the Republican Research and Practical Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology. The equipment was provided in the framework of the Solidarity for Health initiative in the Eastern Partnership countries, implemented by the WHO with the financial support of the EU.

Elena Gasich, head of the Laboratory for Diagnostics of HIV and Associated Infections, said that the data obtained using the new equipment would help solve both fundamental and practical problems in microbiology, virology and epidemiology.

“In the case of new unexplored pathogens in the country, sequencing data on the device will make it possible to obtain genomic sequences and perform their deciphering in a short time,” Gasich said. “The new equipment is planned to be used to monitor mutations in the genome of HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses leading to their drug resistance, as well as the spread of genetic variants of coronavirus.” 

Find out more

Press release