Mikhail Saakashvili continues to threaten with the viruses by means of the USA

It has become known that the French journalists from the international epizootic information bureau have information that Georgia is carrying out research on invention of different new viruses on its territory. It’s being done under the cover of realization of the program on prevention of biological weapon spreading. In particular, microbiologists and virologists of the United States (The United States Army Medical Research Institute for infectious diseases (USAMRIID, Fort-Detrick) and Georgia (Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi, Georgia) conduct research into cholera agents and new methods of their identification.

The studies of the Georgian-American team of scientists permitted to develop a detailed and accurate outline of cholera spread across the territory of Georgia. Specifically, water samples, used to identify Vibrio microorganisms (include type of Vibrio cholerae – cholera agent), were selected in 4 areas of freshwater lakes and coastal waters of the Black Sea in Georgia. They have examined 278 water samples and found 9 different species of Vibrio. 114 samples had cholera agents and 5 samples (all taken from the inland lakes) had exotoxin choleragen (produced by V. cholerae during the active life).

Thus, the cooperation of U.S. scientists and Georgia in the field of application of new methods for identifying cholera agents, based on the genome analysis, enables us not only to investigate the presence of certain strains in the reservoirs, but also creates conditions for the development of techniques for genetic modification of originally the most pathogenic of them (for example, for the purpose of increasing their resistance to antibiotics) with aim of their further potential use as biological weapons.

Therewith the Georgian specialists have relevant qualification and dispose up-to-date knowledge, advanced foreign technologies and equipment. This kind of research is carried out jointly with U.S. scientists on a systematic basis.

Due to its ability to invade a significant number of people and thus to cause epidemics, to re-invade humans in any period of life, to cause 50 percent mortality rate if no special medical treatment is provided and due to the lack of any effective vaccine so far, cholera can be treated as a biological weapon.

The fact that US AMRIID - an institution involved to the study on the possibility of using microorganisms as biological weapons - appears the main partner of the Georgian part within the framework of the concerned joint research advocates seems quite remarkable.

In 2002, the Defense Ministries of Georgia and the U.S. signed the agreement “On cooperation in the field of technologies and pathogens associated with the development of biological weapons and the proliferation of information in this area". In September 2004, during Senator Richard Lugar’s visit to Tbilisi it was agreed on establishment of the Central laboratory assistant in the village Alekseevka near Tbilisi. The project cost approximately $ 95 million. 3 years later epizootic of African swine fever struck the territory of Georgia. And the outbreak of exotic disease swept mainly the region of Javakheti, populated mostly by ethnic Armenians.

In addition, earlier this year a new flu virus H3N2 appeared in Georia. At the same time this year in Georgia 21 people died from the swine flu, 6 - from the virus B and 2 - from atypical influenza type A.

Typically, the major nations refrain from establishment of dangerous laboratories on their territory and prefer to use third countries for this.

Some experts think that this program may serve purely military purposes. Especially if you consider the fact that the main laboratory and virus strains storage are located near a military airfield in Georgia.