Smallpox virus samples saved to thwart terror attacks – U.S.

Smallpox Virus Stays Alive In The Name of Research

Smallpox eradication has been declared officially by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1979 but some countries have chosen to store some samples purportedly to develop medications against bioterrorism.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a Russian government laboratory has the last known smallpox virus samples.

A panel of experts from all over the world convened by the WHO pushed for the total destruction of the samples in the early 1990s but the measure has been ignored because of the threat of bioterrorism.

Now, the WHO will again meet on Monday to decide whether to continue storing the smallpox virus or destroy them. The officials will most likely extend the deadline yet again to allow further research using the samples.

U.S. officials have defended the continued storage of smallpox virus samples because vaccines will need to be prepared to combat future outbreaks. The U.S. says scientists are still working on a vaccine with less adverse side effects as well as two other related drugs.

U.S. representative to the WHO executive board Dr. Nils Daulaire said that a fixed timetable cannot be made because research is unpredictable.

"We're talking about getting the science right," he said. "We do favor the eventual destruction of the stocks once the primary goals of the research have been achieved. We don't think it's a never-ending process."

Some experts believe that storing the smallpox samples pose an unnecessary risk to public health because of the possibility of an accidental release.

But the U.S. is standing ground on its position to hold the samples longer so that beneficial research is completed. A WHO advisory panel last year backed these claims, saying that new vaccines and antiviral drugs can be developed using the remaining smallpox virus stocks.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday May 22 2011, 2:01 AM EDT. Ref: WSJ. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0