Where is smallpox stored

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Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Download PDF. Subjects Diseases Epidemiology Policy Virology. Sixty-year-old ampoule contains smallpox DNA, and it is unclear whether the virus is viable. Authors Sara Reardon View author publications. Even the WHO has long delayed a decision on when to destroy the smallpox samples ever since their initial decision to store the samples.

For now, the laboratories have strict protocols and plans in case of emergencies. The live samples of viruses will remain stored to further scientific research. Do you think we should keep live samples or eradicated viruses?

Did you know we still kept samples of viruses like smallpox? Let us know in the comments, or via Facebook and Twitter. Written for Passport Health by Brianna Malotke. Brianna is a freelance writer and costume designer located in Illinois.

Barthelemy Saint Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia Saint Martin St. Pierre-et-Miquelon St. Canada Locations. Mexico Locations. CDC is working with collaborators to find new and existing drugs that can reduce the harmful effects of variola virus.

Then, they find out how the drug stops infection from happening. What they learn can help us understand how to stop variola viruses from spreading and to design better drugs to treat these viruses. CDC also is collaborating with vaccine manufacturers to make new, safer vaccines and determine how well they work. Since these safer vaccines have never been used in an area with widespread smallpox disease, scientists cannot directly study their ability to prevent smallpox.

Instead, scientists measure the effectiveness of new smallpox vaccines using indirect methods. They conduct clinical trials in which volunteers agree to be vaccinated with the new vaccines and provide blood samples. Scientist also plan to study the new vaccines and drugs in mice and other animals. What they learn can give us a better idea of how well these vaccines might work in people.

A Cold War-era bioweapons lab, Vector once housed some buildings and even its own cemetery where a scientist who injected himself with the highly lethal Marburg virus was reportedly buried, the Los Angeles Times reported in According to the U. General Accounting Office GAO , in , a visit to the lab indicated the scientists were no longer "engaged in offensive activities.

Though outside scientists can't be certain exactly where the explosion and fire occurred, one expert in the field, David Evans, said, "That doesn't sound like it was near where the variola virus is stored or where the research is conducted.

Even if the fire had engulfed virus storage facilities, the risk to human health would be very low. Related: 27 Devastating Infectious Diseases.