Regional Capacity Building Training for Leading and Young Scientists.

On September 19-23th 2016, the ISTC in collaboration with BACAC and Regional Biosafety Training Centre (Dushanbe) delivered a regional CCHFV/Ebola Capacity Building Training Seminar for 42 leading and young scientists in the Tajik Research Institute of Preventive Medicine (TRIPM), Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The scientists included participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The biosafety and biosecurity related training sessions and seminars focused on working with Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Zika and Ebola viruses. Laboratory-based training focused on ELISA, PCR and Rapid PCR, whilst Seminars included sessions on the current status of CCHFV in participating countries and presentations on recent Ebola and Zika virus outbreak in West Africa and South America.

The ISTC would like to thank the international experts and specialists from BACAC, UK PHE and WHO for their participation, and UK MOD for co-funding the event.  Since its inception, BACAC has led the delivery of improved biosafety and biosecurity knowledge and training across Central Asia and the Caucus regions.