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The results of the joint work of a panel of experts from Rospotrebnadzor and healthcare professionals of the Republic of Uzbekistan on organizing activities to counter the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are described in the paper.The goal of the study was to determine the main driving forces of COVID-19 spread in the Republic of Uzbekistan and develop an action plan to reduce the incidence of coronavirus infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Materials and methods. The organization of work in 14 health care institutions in Tashkent and Samarkand, as well as in Tashkent and Samarkand Regions, was analyzed: in 7 laboratories, 6 hospitals and 1 polyclinic. The routes for the movement of personnel, the demarcation of green and red zones, the features of disinfection and the use of personal protective equipment were studied. Attention is drawn to the diagnosis of COVID-19, the use of therapy aimed at reducing the period of virus shedding, the criteria for lifting quarantine restrictions for patients.Results and discussion. The main factors in the organization of work of institutions that contribute to the spread of COVID-19 among medical personnel and the population have been identifed: the lack of equipped gateways between the red and green zones with the accessibility of adequate disinfection, the wrong choice of personal protective equipment, monitoring of contact persons for 10 days, discharge from hospitals based on clinical improvement. The incorrect use of antiviral therapy, the lack of differentiated approaches to the selection of optimal regimens have been noted. Proposals are formulated for organizing the work of healthcare institutions, taking into account the requirements of biological safety. The introduction of targeted measures in addition to those previously adopted has led to a signifcant improvement in the epidemic situation: the total number of active cases in the Republic of Uzbekistan, despite the increase in testing volumes, decreased from 3,686 people on August 23 to 2335 on October 27. Towards December 20, 2020, 97 % of patients recovered completely. All diagnostic triage centers in the Republic of Uzbekistan are closed due to the absence of patients with COVID-19, most of the country’s medical institutions previously re-profled for patients with coronavirus infection have returned to the routine operations.

Presently Africa is one of the most affected regions of the world as regards cholera. More than 55 000 people are infected every year. The review contains the data on comparative assessment of epidemic manifestations associated with the current pandemic, caused by Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor, and the preceding six pandemics, the agent of which was cholera vibrios of classical biovar. Studied have been the factors of large-scale cholera dissemination in Africa in the modern period and problems of its prophylaxis.

Represented are the results of analysis of the on-going EVD epidemic, 2013-2015 in West Africa countries. Identified have been epidemiological peculiarities, the principal ones of which are: the scale of epidemic transmission; social factors of widespread occurrence; registration of EVD cases in the new territories of the African continent - West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra-Leone); genetic distinction between Ebola virus and the strains of the same virus, species Zaire ebolavirus, that caused previous outbreaks; prevalence of febrile syndrome over hemorrhagic; high risk of infection with EVD among the healthcare workers. Most probable carriers of Ebola virus may be fruit-bats of the three species - Hypsignathus monstrosus, Myonycteris torquata, and Epomops franqueti. Outlined are the key stages and factors of EVD epidemic development.

International public events (IPE) present some actual epidemiological problems requiring proper methodological elaboration. In this respect for the first time developed has been the scheme of assessment of their potential epidemic hazard (PEH), based on integrated evaluation of epidemiological risk as regards infectious diseases listed in the IHR (2005). On the cholera model demonstrated is the fact that high priority hazard of public events emerges when those are combined with such elements of epidemiological risk as territory and time of a threat, as well as risk factors and risk contingents. Thus the integral effect of all elements realization is manifested through high probability of infectious disease importation, which is associated with emergency situation, into the public event location and the disturbance of mass gathering progress. Reliability and functionality of the developed scheme is verified on other infections too. PEH assessment procedure allows for timely identification of priority goals, for rating means and capacities, organizational resources, methodological and technological arrays for the provision of sanitary-epidemiological welfare and biological safety when managing public event.

Retrospective analysis of cholera spread in the early period of the seventh pandemic in Russia (1970-1973) has been carried out. It was elucidated that importation and further spread of cholera in the Astrakhan region in 1970 had been realized through the water way. The development of a large cholera focus in the territory of this region determined the unfavorable situation as regards this infection in the whole country in the period of 1970-1972. Water transport was shown to play the main role in cholera spread. The risk cohorts were the population of the Astrakhan region, shipboard personnel of the Volga steamship company, fishermen, persons without permanent residence. Molecular-genetic analysis of cholera agent strains isolated from the patients (vibriocarriers) and the environment showed that they belonged to one clone, thus the common origin of cholera cases in the basin of the Volga was confirmed.

The analysis of sickness rate carried out from 1984 to 2007 revealed the complicated epidemiologic situation with plague in the world, especially during the period of 1991-2003. The most strained situation formed in Africa. During the analyzed period the tendency to increase the plague incidence in the world - 2.4-fold, in Africa - 4.1-fold and to decrease in America - 11.1-fold and in Asia - 1.7-fold was observed. Uneven character of plague cases distribution in the world was determined: 80.1 % of cases were registered in Africa, 14.1 % - in Asia and 5.8 % - in America. From 1990 to 2006 10 local outbreaks of pneumonic plague were registered in the world: 4 - in Asia, 5 - in Africa and 1 - in America.