'High bio-hazard risk' in Sudan after laboratory seized, WHO says

FILE PHOTO: Smoke is seen rise from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan. April 22, 2023. REUTERS/ Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - There is a "high risk of biological hazard" in the Sudanese capital Khartoum after one of the warring parties seized a laboratory holding measles and cholera pathogens and other hazardous materials, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video link from Sudan, the WHO's Nima Saeed Abid said technicians were unable to access the National Public Health Laboratory to secure the materials.