<p>The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/world-health-organization" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> said Tuesday that fighters in conflict-ravaged Sudan had occupied the national public laboratory holding samples of diseases including polio and measles, creating an "extremely, extremely dangerous" situation.</p>.<p>Fighters "kicked out all the technicians from the lab... which is completely under the control of one of the fighting parties as a military base," said Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO's representative in Sudan.</p>.<p>He did not say which of the fighting parties had taken over the laboratory.</p>.<p>Abid said he had received a call from the head of the national laboratory in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/fitful-start-to-new-3-day-truce-in-sudan-airlifts-continue-1212759.html" target="_blank">Khartoum </a>on Monday, a day before a US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan's warring generals officially came into effect after 10 days of urban combat.</p>.<p>"There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab," said Abid.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/stuck-in-apartment-without-food-or-water-wife-of-slain-kerala-man-in-sudan-pleaded-mea-for-help-1212426.html" target="_blank">Stuck in apartment without food or water, wife of slain Kerala man in Sudan pleaded MEA for help</a></strong></p>.<p>He pointed out that the lab held so-called isolates, or samples, of a range of deadly diseases, including measles, polio and cholera.</p>.<p>The director of the lab had also warned of the danger that "depleting stocks of blood bags risk spoiling due to lack of power," Abid said.</p>.<p>"In addition to chemical hazards, bio-risk hazards are also very high due to lack of functioning generators," he said.</p>.<p>The UN health agency also said that it had confirmed 14 attacks on healthcare during the fighting, killing eight and injuring two.</p>.<p>The fighting in Sudan has pitted forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against those of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).</p>.<p>The Sudanese health ministry has put the number of deaths so far at 459, with a further 4,072 wounded, the WHO said Tuesday, adding that it had not be able to verify that number.</p>.<p>The UN refugee agency meanwhile said it was bracing for up to 270,000 people to flee Sudan into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan.</p>.<p>Laura Lo Castro, the UN refugee agency's representative in Chad, said some 20,000 refugees had arrived there since the fighting began 10 days ago.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video-link, she said the agency expected up to 100,000 "in the worst case scenario".</p>.<p>Her colleague in South Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney, meanwhile said that around 4,000 of the more than 800,000 South Sudanese refugees living in Sudan had returned home since the fighting began.</p>.<p>Looking forward, she told reporters that "the most likely scenario is 125,000 returns of South Sudanese refugees into South Sudan."</p>.<p>In addition, she said, UNHCR expected up to 45,000 Sudanese to flee as refugees into South Sudan.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/world-health-organization" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> said Tuesday that fighters in conflict-ravaged Sudan had occupied the national public laboratory holding samples of diseases including polio and measles, creating an "extremely, extremely dangerous" situation.</p>.<p>Fighters "kicked out all the technicians from the lab... which is completely under the control of one of the fighting parties as a military base," said Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO's representative in Sudan.</p>.<p>He did not say which of the fighting parties had taken over the laboratory.</p>.<p>Abid said he had received a call from the head of the national laboratory in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/fitful-start-to-new-3-day-truce-in-sudan-airlifts-continue-1212759.html" target="_blank">Khartoum </a>on Monday, a day before a US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan's warring generals officially came into effect after 10 days of urban combat.</p>.<p>"There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab," said Abid.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/stuck-in-apartment-without-food-or-water-wife-of-slain-kerala-man-in-sudan-pleaded-mea-for-help-1212426.html" target="_blank">Stuck in apartment without food or water, wife of slain Kerala man in Sudan pleaded MEA for help</a></strong></p>.<p>He pointed out that the lab held so-called isolates, or samples, of a range of deadly diseases, including measles, polio and cholera.</p>.<p>The director of the lab had also warned of the danger that "depleting stocks of blood bags risk spoiling due to lack of power," Abid said.</p>.<p>"In addition to chemical hazards, bio-risk hazards are also very high due to lack of functioning generators," he said.</p>.<p>The UN health agency also said that it had confirmed 14 attacks on healthcare during the fighting, killing eight and injuring two.</p>.<p>The fighting in Sudan has pitted forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against those of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).</p>.<p>The Sudanese health ministry has put the number of deaths so far at 459, with a further 4,072 wounded, the WHO said Tuesday, adding that it had not be able to verify that number.</p>.<p>The UN refugee agency meanwhile said it was bracing for up to 270,000 people to flee Sudan into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan.</p>.<p>Laura Lo Castro, the UN refugee agency's representative in Chad, said some 20,000 refugees had arrived there since the fighting began 10 days ago.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video-link, she said the agency expected up to 100,000 "in the worst case scenario".</p>.<p>Her colleague in South Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney, meanwhile said that around 4,000 of the more than 800,000 South Sudanese refugees living in Sudan had returned home since the fighting began.</p>.<p>Looking forward, she told reporters that "the most likely scenario is 125,000 returns of South Sudanese refugees into South Sudan."</p>.<p>In addition, she said, UNHCR expected up to 45,000 Sudanese to flee as refugees into South Sudan.</p>