Bulgaria participates in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ZODIAC project through the National Development Programme managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
15 May 2023 News
Bulgaria is contributing financially to the landmark IAEA Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) initiative, designed to support the fight against diseases transmitted from animals to humans through molecular technologies, through the National Development Assistance Programme managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In turn, our country's active participation in the ZODIAC initiative, Bulgaria's membership of the IAEA Board of Governors, and the joint efforts of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have created the opportunity for Bulgaria to be selected by the IAEA to host the ZODIAC-funded Regional Training Course for Eastern European Countries to test standard operating procedures for new serological and molecular techniques on 15—19 May 2023.
Senior representatives of the IAEA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BABH) and the Nuclear Research Agency (NRA) participated in the opening of the international training course hosted by the laboratory of the National Diagnostic Research Veterinary Institute of the BABH. Its aim is to improve the capacity of the laboratories concerned and their ability to monitor, detect and control pandemics caused by pathogens in animals that can be transmitted to humans.
In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, the ZODIAC initiative is a timely and necessary solution to bring countries together to improve global preparedness and response capacity to outbreaks of such diseases.