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Viable Smallpox Vaccine Virus found - after 132 years, in a museum
One exhibit at the Virginia Historical Society featured a letter, handwritten and dated 1876, with what appeared to be a smallpox scab pinned inside--light brown, about the size of a pencil eraser, and crumbling. The letter said, "Dear Pa...the piece I inclose is perfectly fresh and was taken from an infant's arm yesterday... Dr. Harris says the inclosed scab will vaccinate 12 persons, but if you want more, you must send for it. I will pin this to the letter so that you cannot lose it as you did before." The museum staff assumed it wasn't infectious and put it on display. Others were more concerned and the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] were eventually notified. Two CDC representatives, both immunized against smallpox, arrived at the museum in March. They donned disposable surgical gowns and gloves, lifted the scab from a display case, sealed it in bio-bags inside a red cooler, and drove 9 hours straight back to a high security CDC lab in Atlanta. Within a few hours researchers determined the scab contained vaccinia virus, which has been used for centuries to 'vaccinate' against the actual smallpox virus. Smallpox & vaccinia scabs can remain infectious for decades under the right conditions. Even if research labs destroy their remaining smallpox virus stocks, nobody truly knows how much smallpox virus may be lurking in archives or cemeteries. The CDC is only a phone call away. The assumptions utilized by the museum & the cavalier attitude of those it first consulted were unjustified. The tipoff originated with a local electrical engineer who at least respected the limits of his knowledge. Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-05-19 |
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