Health

Hundreds of deadly virus samples have vanished from an Australian lab

December, 21, 2024-03:51

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A significant breach of biosecurity has occurred in Australia, resulting in the disappearance of hundreds of lethal virus samples from a laboratory.

On the previous day, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls disclosed that 323 vials containing live viruses are currently unaccounted for.

Among these, there are nearly 100 vials of the hendra virus, two vials of hantavirus, and 223 vials of lyssavirus, all of which pose severe risks to human health.

Authorities in Queensland maintain that while the samples have the potential to be weaponized, such actions would not typically be undertaken by amateurs.

The samples were reported missing in 2021, but the breach was only confirmed by investigators in August 2023.

       It is suspected that the Queensland Public Health Virology Laboratory lost the vials due to a malfunction in the freezer where they were stored.

      During a press conference, Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard expressed concern regarding the transfer of these materials, stating, "The transfer to        a functioning freezer was conducted without the necessary paperwork. The materials may have been removed from secure storage and subsequently lost or             otherwise unaccounted for."

Minister Nicholls revealed that the samples had been missing since 2021, with their absence only being recognized in August 2023.

The three viral strains that escaped from the laboratory are all capable of causing severe illness in humans.

The hendra virus primarily affects horses but can also infect humans, with a mortality rate estimated at 57 percent.

This virus was first identified in 1994 following an outbreak that affected 21 racehorses and two humans in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra.

According to the World Health Organization, the natural hosts of the virus are fruit bats, from which the infection is believed to have transferred to horses and subsequently to humans.

Hantavirus is another zoonotic virus that originates from rats and is transmitted through their droppings, urine, and saliva.

In humans, hantavirus can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, characterized by symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, and fluid accumulation in the lungs.