The Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection at the NSDC of Ukraine held its first meeting in an updated composition

The first meeting of the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine in an updated composition took place at the NSDC Staff.

Opening the meeting, Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov stressed that the world is facing difficult challenges, one of which is the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic.

“We have high hopes that the Commission will help address biosecurity issues, - he said. - Our specialists must help the country”.

Chairman of the Commission - Director of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Biochemistry, Physiology and Molecular Biology of the NAS of Ukraine, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine Serhiy Komisarenko said that its task is “to restore or state’s biosecurity system”.

Among other things, Mr. Komisarenko spoke in favor of creating our own genomic center in Ukraine, which could sequence the genomes of viruses and bacteria circulating in our country and predict possible epidemics caused by these microorganisms.

During the meeting, the role and participation of the Commission in drafting the Biosafety and Biosecurity Strategy, taking into account the provisions of the Strategy for Ensuring Biosecurity and Biological Protection under the “single health” principle and the Action Plan for its implementation, was discussed.

Deputy Minister of Health - Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko informed about the current situation with the epidemic of acute respiratory disease COVID-19.

The members of the Commission exchanged views on the state of countering the spread of coronavirus disease, as well as the role and participation of the Commission in overcoming the consequences of this epidemic.

Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Bogomolets National Medical University Olha Holubovska drew attention, in particular, to the importance of developing a rehabilitation program for people who went through coronavirus, given the significant drug load and the consequences of the disease.

According to her, representatives of the expert community should be more actively involved in the work on bills that regulate various issues in the medical sphere.

The participants of the meeting also considered the issue of restoring the anti-epidemic protection system of Ukraine. Director of the state institution “L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine”, Corresponding Member of the NAMS of Ukraine Victoria Zadorozhna (Deputy Chairman of the Commission); Olha Holubovska; Viktor Lyashko; Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko; Director of the State Enterprise “L.I. Medved’s Research Center of Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine”, Corresponding Member of the NAMS of Ukraine Mykola Prodanchuk; Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health of the Nation, Medical Care and Medical Insurance Mykhailo Radutskyi took an active part in the discussion.

For reference: the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection at the NSDC of Ukraine is a working body of the NSDC and a platform for developing strategic documents in the field of biosafety and biological protection.

Presidential Decree of December 10, 2020, № 560 "On the composition of the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine" approved the updated composition of the Commission.