US Storing Viral Pathogens for Biological Attacks: Iranian Official

An Iranian official urged constant vigilance to counter possible biological attacks by enemies of the Iranian nation, including the US, which he said owns a cache of viral pathogens that mostly cause livestock diseases.

News ID: 69897

Date: 28 April 2018 - 19:37

TEHRAN (Defapress) –Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Saturday event in Tehran, held to mark the World Veterinary Day, Head of Iran Veterinary Organization Alireza Refiepour said the US government has developed a cache of six viral pathogens that could be used for microbial wars.

Five of those pathogens are used for targeting livestock, he noted, saying the most common viral disease is anthrax.

Refiepour also highlighted Iran’s efforts to control avian flu over the past two years, urging collective efforts to prevent an epidemic of bird flu this year.

As regards the preventive measures by the Veterinary Organization, he pointed to stricter control over transportation, handling of illegal poultry farms, and constant monitoring of the country’s lagoons.

In comments earlier this month, the official announced that more than 25 million birds in 22 provinces of the country had been culled to curb avian flu.

Avian flu, a type of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds, broke out in some parts of the world in early 2018, including in Britain and Turkey.

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