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By Region: Europe

US Says Eventual Destruction Of Last Smallpox Viruses At Least 5 Years Away

THE CANADIAN PRESS — (Geneva) – The last known stockpiles of the smallpox virus won’t be destroyed anytime soon, the U.S. health secretary said Tuesday, in part out of fear that one of the world’s deadliest diseases could be used as a bioweapon. U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius told reporters that the stockpiles held in  Read More »

World Health Assembly opens 64th session in Geneva

CIDRAP — Delegates from 193 countries met today in Geneva at the start of the World Health Assembly (WHA), which will address several infectious disease topics, including a report from an independent pandemic review committee, a virus-sharing agreement, and the fate of the world’s remaining smallpox virus stocks. The WHA is the decision-making body of  Read More »

Pitt scholar: Destroy stockpiled strains of smallpox

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW — Three decades after leading the worldwide effort to eradicate smallpox, Dr. D.A.Henderson at the University of Pittsburgh said on Monday the final stockpiled strains of the virus should be destroyed. No known cases of the disease have been reported since 1978, but the United States and Russia keep hundreds of strains for  Read More »

Decades After Eradicating Smallpox, Countries Mull Whether To Destroy Last Remaining Viruses

WASHINGTON POST — (London) – Smallpox, one of the world’s deadliest diseases, eradicated three decades ago, is kept alive under tight security today in just two places — the United States and Russia. Many other countries say the world would be safer if those stockpiles of the virus were destroyed. Now for the fifth time,  Read More »

A small pox, a big debate

ABC ONLINE — In a few weeks time the WHO will meet to consider whether or not to formally recommend that the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus be permanently destroyed. At least two laboratories in the USA and Russia are said to maintain stocks of the virus frozen in liquid nitrogen, presumably as a  Read More »

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