ULAANBAATAR, September 3. /TASS/. Russia gave Mongolia a fully equipped mobile laboratory to assist in field diagnostics of zoonotic infections, particularly in borderline zones, the country’s Health Ministry told a TASS correspondent.

"During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mongolia, Russia’s top sanitary doctor Anna Popova handed over to our country a fully equipped vehicle with a laboratory for the detection of zoonotic infections. This mobile lab is crucial for field diagnostics and timely measures as part of the program to decrease infection risks in the borderline zone of the two countries," the agency said.

According to the Health Ministry, Mongolia’s new Health Minister Togtmolyn Munkhsaikhan thanked his Russian colleagues for helping the country with medical aid, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. During that time, Russia also provided Mongolia with fully equipped mobile labs to carry out tests at border checkpoints.

"According to the 2018 agreement on cooperation with Russia’s sanitary watchdog, our countries are actively cooperating in the sphere of preventing and fighting zoonotic infections in borderline areas," the ministry noted.

Transborder infection hotspot

Two-thirds of Mongolian territory falls within the Saylyugem transboundary natural plague focus. Its monitoring in 1959-1990 has shown that a plague pathogen belonging to the Altay subtype, less often - to the Olgii subtype, was circulating in this area.

The distinctive features of these subtypes are selective virulence and low epidemic risk.

According to Mongolia’s National Center for Zoonotic Diseases, natural plague foci are highly active in 75 districts of Mongolia’s 15 regions.

Plague is a disease endemic to Mongolia and transborder regions of neighboring countries. Plague infections in Mongolia and Russia and China’s borderline zones are usually transmitted via the meat of the tarbagan, a local marmot-like rodent. Hunting this animal has been prohibited in Mongolia since 2005.