Vials labeled 'smallpox' found at vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, CDC says

[applegrove]

Vials labeled 'smallpox' found at vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, CDC says

By Maggie Fox, CNN

Updated 10:20 AM ET, Wed November 17, 2021

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/16/health/smallpox-vials-found/index.html

"SNIP.......

(CNN)Several vials labeled "smallpox" have been found at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

"There is no indication that anyone has been exposed to the small number of frozen vials," the CDC said in a statement emailed to CNN.

FDA approves first drug to treat smallpox

"The frozen vials labeled 'Smallpox' were incidentally discovered by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research in Pennsylvania. CDC, its Administration partners, and law enforcement are investigating the matter and the vials' contents appear intact," the CDC added.

"The laboratory worker who discovered the vials was wearing gloves and a face mask. We will provide further details as they are available."

Smallpox Fast Facts

Smallpox, also known as variola, was declared eradicated in 1980 by the World Health Organization after a concerted global vaccination effort. Before that, the virus, which passes easily from person to person, infected 15 million people a year and killed about 30% of them. The last known outbreak in the US was in 1947.

......SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. How could that happen? At what is in the bowels of other lab freezers

around the world? Only two labs in the world are supposed to have the disease in storage. The US CDC and Russia.

[JanMichael]

2. Holy shit. I knew Small Pox was bad but jeeze...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox

Awful.

Anti-vaxers are a Pox to humanity.

[iemanja]

4. It's much deadlier than COVID

It wiped out 90% of the indigenous population of Latin America in the 16th and 17th centuries, though it eventually recovered to 25% of its original size. There are reports of the virus preceding the arrival of Europeans to villages in the Yucatan. While the Europeans were the carriers of the virus, it was airborne so preceded their arrival in a particular location. They'd find entire villages decimated.

[Maru Kitteh]

3. That is just fucking terrifying.

[NickB79]

5. The poor lab tech

I'd need my brown pants for that.

[madville]

6. I got the smallpox vaccine in 2017

But it’s only good for 3-5 years from what I remember.