Pardubice, East Bohemia, Jan 18 (CTK) – The Czech military presented its mobile laboratory that is equipped to detect and identify bioterror pathogens, including the well-known anthrax and Ebola, in Pardubice on Wednesday.
In the biological protection of the population, it is crucial to identify the infection as soon as possible and isolate the patients, Brigadier General Zoltan Bubenik, director of the Czech Military Medical Agency, told journalists.
The lab vehicle can take samples of soil, water, air and biological material from animals and people, and analyse them within a few hours, said Zbynek Valenta, from the Military Healthcare Institute, which is part of the Military Medical Agency.
The vehicle can operate in contaminated areas for up to tens of hours.
The Czech military has two such mobile labs with modern equipment and teams of specialists. It also has one field mobile microbiological laboratory.
Other countries use the services of the Czech mobile laboratories also for civilian purposes, for example during the Summer Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.
