Unapproved laboratory harboring smallpox vials

The smallpox virus is renowned for having claimed the most lives out of any virus or bacteria in medical history, and despite having been completely wiped our globally in the 1970′s, it remains one of the most concerning pathogens in modern science.

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The National Library of Medicine (NLM) notes particular concerns regarding smallpox have to do with terrorism; even though mass vaccination efforts were conducted by the world’s governments, experts theorize that many people are no longer immune to the viral infection. Smallpox could easily be spread through the air in a biochemical attack, though the risk of this has been considered minimal since the only remaining samples of the virus are held in tightly-controlled laboratories.

Or so we thought.

Just this month, six vials of freeze-dried smallpox were found in an unapproved laboratory, or more precisely, in a cold storage room of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The samples have been sitting there, unknown about, since the 1950′s.

According to a report from IFLScience, the vials were found on July 1 on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and the storage room was one that belonged to the National Institutes on Health back in the 1970?s when smallpox was finally eradicated. As a part of the program to develop effective vaccines, similar samples had been stored in laboratories across the country during that decade.

The discovery, however, has raised concerns that there may be other vials in other unsecured locations, making it possible that smallpox could fall into the wrong hands.

“The vaccine is no longer given to the general public because the virus has been wiped out. The possible complications and costs of the vaccine outweigh the benefits of taking it,” states the NLH. “If the vaccine needs to be given to control an outbreak, it can have a small risk of complications. Some complications are mild, such as rashes. Others are more serious. Only military personnel, health care workers, and emergency responders may receive the vaccine today. Smallpox vaccination policies and practices are currently being reviewed.”

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Despite the concern that smallpox could become the next bioweapon, experts say regarding the recent laboratory discovery, the public does not need to be concerned. The vials have all been secured and sent to

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biosafety lab in Atlanta where they will be tested to see if the virus can be cultured and eventually destroyed. According to officials, the vials were not compromised and no human exposure occurred.