New reports share that a biosecurity breach was discovered over at Queensland, Australia, where a laboratory lost 323 vials of known deadly live viruses, known for having high mortality rates. The investigation reported that over the course of two years, these viruses went unaccounted for, and it was only last year that it was discovered that they were missing.
There are potential implications when losing samples of viruses, particularly as they can be used to create biological weapons or start another global pandemic, but Australian authorities assured that neither is happening.
Australia’s Lab Faced a Biosecurity Breach With 323 Virus Vials Lost
Reports have now piled up regarding the latest confirmation that Australia faced a biosecurity breach where 323 vials containing live and deadly viruses went missing for over two years since 2021. It was only discovered by authorities last year, and all were classified to be deadly viruses that previously plagued several regions in the globe, and until now, these viruses’ whereabouts remain unknown.
The lost vials were identified to contain samples of known deadly viruses, with almost 100 missing vials of Hendra Virus which has a 57 percent fatality rate, 223 samples of Lyssavirus which also has a high mortality rate, and two samples of the Hantavirus which has a mortality rate of 38 percent.
It was revealed that these viruses were stored on Australia’s Queensland Public Health Virology Laboratory but because of a previous freezer malfunction, authorities needed to transfer them for the time being.
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No Need to Fear Recent Virus Vials Disappearance
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls shared that the transfer of these materials has been one of the top concerns since discovering its loss last year, saying that these vials were removed from their secure storage. Later on, they were lost and went unaccounted for by the authorities.
Despite these massive concerns, officials believe that these viruses were not stolen or “weaponized,” particularly because creating a biological weapon is “very sophisticated” said Minister Nicholls.
The Post-Coronavirus World
The modern spread of the coronavirus, a.k.a. COVID-19, significantly affected the world as it effectively shut down almost all industries, and fortunately, the advancement in technology allowed many to take advantage of remote work, school, and more. However, for those who were infected by the virus, studies revealed that it has a long-term impact on their overall health.
However, just as when COVID-19’s infections are slowly declining and the world is on track toward recovery, there were various threats to public health that popped up, and this included the infamous monkeypox. More recently, there was also the H5N1 virus that was spreading worldwide, and in 2022, the United States confirmed its first case of the so-called ‘bird flu’ in the country which animals carried.
The severity of global health threats is apparent to the public after having faced its significant effects that led to lockdowns, and restrictions, and suffering from its adverse effects, something which authorities are looking to prevent. Australia’s recent loss of 323 vials of deadly viruses has been one of the most perplexing news this week, but the authorities assure everyone that these were only “unaccounted for” and may not be used to create biological weapons or start another global outbreak.
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