Distance learning on epidemic and pandemic outbreaks in Belarus as a result of cooperation with СEI

Summary Several scientific institutions have performed CEI project in Belarus: Republican Scientific and Practical Centre of Hygiene, which is an advanced scientific and testing institution in the field of hygiene, toxicology, health protection and preventive medicine and Republican Research and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, with a wide range of fundamental studies in the area of epidemiology, medical virology, microbiology, immunology and parasitology. The situational analysis showed that existing structure of sanitary epidemiological system in Belarus let to enhance and strengthen the national surveillance system and public health safety. The e-learning course have been developed within the project framework consists of two training modules. The epidemiological e-learning course “Laboratory diagnosis of a new COVID-19 infection COVID-19” addressed to the health care workers, state sanitary inspections specialists and other medical specialists. The public health e-learning course “Occupational risk management of medical workers in context of Covid-19” addressed to the occupational health services specialists, clinical epidemiologists, hospital managers and administrators, representatives of the health workers' union. These topics were based on the training need analysis conducted by Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Using the educational platform let the participated institutions to efficiently disseminate the project results on ongoing basis

System of Monitoring and Response to Public Health Emergencies of Sanitary-Epidemiological Character in the CIS Countries

The most important component of strengthening the potential for responding to biological threats both at the national and interstate levels is the formation of a unified system for monitoring and responding to emergencies (ES) of sanitary-epidemiological nature in the CIS territory.The aim of the work was to review the systems for monitoring and responding to emergencies of sanitary-epidemiological character in the CIS countries by the example of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, to characterize the main areas of international cooperation on countering biological threats and coordinating international response measures in the CIS countries.Materials and methods. Information and analytical materials provided by organizations responsible for epidemiological surveillance and control in the CIS countries, Internet sources, and publications were used for the study.Results and discussion. The organization and functioning of the systems for monitoring and responding to emergencies in the CIS countries is a state function. It includes, as a rule, the national, regional (sub-national) and territorial (local) levels, which have horizontal and vertical connections. The legal framework is made up of documents of the legislative level. Interdepartmental interaction in response to emergencies is carried out both at the republican level and in administrative territories; the basis for interaction is the integrated planning of preventive and anti-epidemic measures and the functioning of the relevant organizational structures on an ongoing basis. Since 2015, with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation, programs have been implemented aimed at assisting partner countries in the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) in order to increase national response capacity and form a unified sanitaryepidemiological emergency response system in the CIS countries. The main areas of collaboration are strengthening the material and technical base and human resources of specialized institutions and scientific cooperation. As a result of the program implementation, a unified system for monitoring and prompt response to emergencies in the field of public health of sanitary-epidemiological nature has essentially been formed in the CIS countries to date, uniting more than 15 specialized institutions from 8 CIS countries

Radiocesium concentrations in wild boars captured within 20?km of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011 released large amounts of artificial radioactive substances into the environment. In this study, we measured the concentration of radiocesium (134Cs + 137Cs) in 213 muscle samples from wild boars (Sus scrofa) captured in Tomioka town, which is located within 20 km of the FDNPP. The results showed that 210 (98.6%) muscle samples still exceeded the regulatory radiocesium limit (100 Bq/kg) for general foods. Radiocesium (134Cs + 137Cs) levels ranged from 87.1?8,120 Bq/kg fresh mass (FM), with a median concentration of 450 Bq/kg FM. The median committed effective dose was estimated to be 0.070?0.26 μSv/day for females and 0.062?0.30 μSv/day for males. The committed effective dose for one-time ingestion of wild boar meat could be considered extremely low for residents in Tomioka. The relatively high levels of radioactivity found in this study suggest that the high variability of food sources may have led to the large accumulation of radioactive substances. These results suggest that comprehensive long-term monitoring is needed to identify risk factors affecting recovery from a nuclear disaster