The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to FAO and other UN Agencies in Rome publishes a message from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on military doctors, equipment and equipment provided by Italy to Russia by agreement of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin with Italian Council of Ministers Chairman J. Conte to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is sending a group of specialists in the field of epidemiology and virology to Italy. It is a group of about 100 people with extensive practical experience in combating the spread of viral infections, eliminating the difficult epidemiological situation, and organizing the disinfection of buildings, structures and water intake systems.

Russian specialists have all the necessary modern equipment, special equipment and medical preparations.

Most of them are leading experts in their field and were directly involved in the elimination of anthrax outbreaks, the development of a vaccine against Ebola and plague vaccines.

Major General Sergey Kikot, who heads the group of Russian experts, is a leading developer and specialist in the application of the latest samples of special processing systems. He has practical experience of organizing work in difficult epidemiological conditions of outbreaks of anthrax peptic ulcer, liquidation of flood consequences.

Another Russian specialist, Lieutenant Colonel Gennady Eremin, is a leading scientist at the research center, and has a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences. He is an expert in the field of organization and conducting of anti-epidemiological measures. Lieutenant Colonel G.Eremin has experience in dealing with such dangerous diseases as African swine fever and Foot and Mouth disease.

The group also includes Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Kulish, who is a specialist in the development of protection against biological damaging agents of a viral nature. He participated in the development of vaccines against Ebola, antiplague drugs. Lieutenant Colonel V.Kulish is an expert in the field of virology, organization and conduct of special processing, as well as anti-epidemiological measures.

Lieutenant Colonel of the Medical Service Alexander Yumanov, assistant professor of the Military Medical Academy named after S.M. Kirova, candidate of medical sciences, will also take part in the work. In 2019, he participated in the exercises of the military medical services of ASEAN member states and interactive partners of the ADMM plus Format MEDEX-2019 in India on anti-epidemic support in natural disasters and emergency situations. As part of a group of Russian military experts, he participated in the deployment of a mobile hospital in the Republic of Guinea as part of an international program to combat Ebola.

The group also includes a leading epidemiologist, Colonel of the Medical Service Alexei Smirnov, Ph.D., the author of more than 70 scientific papers on the study of epidemiology and prevention of relevant infectious diseases. He actively participated in the development of a vaccine against Ebola.