Smallpox Biosafety
a website about destruction of smallpox virus stocks
Smallpox Biosafety
a website about destruction of smallpox virus stocks
For decades, the US and Russia have resisted destroying the last remaining smallpox viruses. But this year, a review by World Health Organization public health experts concludes that the viruses serve no essential public health purpose and that continued experimentation with them poses the potentially catastropic risk of an escape.
2011 may be the year in which smallpox is finally truly eradicated. If not now, when? If not now, then why on earth do Russia and the US want to keep them?
LATEST
• Report from Geneva - Article detailing the 64th WHA smallpox debate. (25 May)
• Twitter feed from World Health Assembly smallpox
discussions (beginning ~16 May)• On this day (8 May) in 1980, the World Health Assembly
confirmed the eradication of smallpox from the wild.• Sign On: Open letter from civil society on destruction of smallpox virus stocks
INFOBRIEFS
#5: Maintaining Clarity about Smallpox Research and an Essential Public Health Purpose
#4: Dealing with the possibility of stalemate
#3: Evidence Demonstrates the Significant Risk of Laboratory Accidents
#2: Alleged Unauthorized Stocks and the Myth that Smallpox Virus is Needed to Respond to Them
RESOURCES
Briefing papers
Smallpox Virus Stocks at the 64th WHA: Implementing the Conclusions of the Major Review (2011)
Update on Smallpox (Variola) Virus Destruction (2010)
Destruction of Smallpox Virus Stocks - An Update for the Sixtieth World Health Assembly (2007)
Update on Destruction of Variola Virus Stocks (2006)
Other Resources
SELECTED ARTICLES [under construction]
Macintyre B (2011). A pox on the keepers of a killer virus. The Australian. 28 April. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/a-pox-on-the-keepers-of-a-killer-virus/story-e6frg6ux-1226045796587
Henderson DA (2011). Smallpox Virus Destruction and the Implications of a New Vaccine. Biosecurity & Bioterrorism. doi:10.1089/bsp.2011.0011 (free full text)
Lane JM and GA Poland (2011). Why not destroy the remaining smallpox virus stocks? Vaccine.
doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.02.081 (paywall)
Salzberg S (2011). It's time to destroy the U.S. smallpox reserves. Forbes (Science Business). 13 March. http://bit.ly/glq1Hr (free full text)