The Destruction of Smallpox Virus is Controversial Proposed

After the plague mankind for three millennia, the smallpox virus behind the face he deserves. In May, during a meeting of the World Health Organization, countries decide it's time to sterilize and burning into oblivion all other known samples of the virus.
Smallpox is sometimes described as the most devastating disease in human history, and eradication of the disease - no naturally acquired cases since 1977 - is considered probably the health service's most modern. But the road to destruction date is yet to come.
The debate on whether to destroy the samples held by the United States and Russia began in 1980. It focuses on whether or not we have enough information to prevent the virus from reproducing havoc.
"If it is destroyed, the ruling said that after that date, all scientists, all laboratories, a country that smallpox had been guilty of crimes against humanity," said Dr. DA Henderson, former director of Rowing campaign's disease and author of "Smallpox: The Death of a disease" (Prometheus Books, 2009).
Destroy the virus remains in eliminating the possibility of an accidental release. There is no precedent for this: in 1978, an accidental release at a British laboratory have resulted in death.
Others, however, warn that the labeling of the virus remained a crime against humanity is not in any way to deter terrorists, and that without the smallpox virus in vivo, smallpox called We will not be able to prepare for the worst.
"It would be very important to have something on the platform that could help prevent or treat a disease or virus is introduced by a terrorist nature or mother," said Dennis Hruby, Chief Scientific Officer of SIGA pharmaceutical company developing a treatment against smallpox. It is possible for people to another pox virus closely related to the capture, and it is also possible that smallpox could be repeated as in the rest of the smallpox virus, "said Hruby. [7 devastating infectious diseases]
Politics
That the two countries remaining populations appear to be pointing against setting a date for the destruction of them.
"The United States fully agrees that these samples are eventually destroyed. However, we believe that the timing of this destruction, we will determine whether the potential threat of viruses to kill or live with the risk of recurrence of the disease 'intentional abuse of the virus, "writes Bill Hall, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Affairs in an email to LiveScience." Therefore, we strongly believe that the WHA [World Health Assembly Health] should continue to recommend the retention of samples required until the investigation is complete. "
Reports indicate that the Russian leader for Health, Gennady G. Onishchenko, adopted a similar position. "It would be premature and even dangerous for the removal of these collections," Onishchenko told Interfax news agency of Russia.
The impulse to destroy the samples, under the leadership of African countries - which would be less able to respond to an epidemic - and with the support of countries of Asia and the Middle East, according to Edward Hammond, a consultant for the Network Third World, a nongovernmental organization that advocates the destruction.
"In theory, everyone agrees that to happen," said Hammond. "The debate is about time to do it. The truth is that the United States and Russia are holding."
World Health Organization delegates should discuss these and other issues in member countries of the annual meeting in May. 16 to 24 in Switzerland.
End of an illness
Smallpox, which causes smallpox, belongs to a family of camel pox virus to smallpox, monkeypox, smallpox, buffalo and others are doing. The smallpox virus is faithful to its human host, the animals have no further or spread.
Infection causes flu-like symptoms, followed by the appearance of lesions. Approximately one third of those who are infected die. [How Smallpox Changed the World]
"Smallpox is one of the most horrible things you can imagine," said Henderson. He saw the latter case, the spring of 1975 in Bangladesh. "What a horrible sight. These people seemed unhappy, who have good begging, but they could not drink water if you gave them, and they were horrible injuries, and of course, these hospitals have not been reviewed and flies were more ... There was a strong odor that permeated. It has been described as the smell of rotting flesh, the smell horrible. You could not do anything for them, and they came to you. "
In 1796, a country doctor, Edward Jenner in English obtained pus from a lesion in the hand of a milkmaid infected with cowpox, and used it for a young inoculate him against smallpox, a deadly disease. It was the first version of the vaccine against smallpox. The version used for smallpox worldwide was based on a virus different but closely related called the eradication of vaccine against smallpox, according to Jonathan Tucker, a biosecurity expert and author of "Scourge: The threat of a later date smallpox (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2001).
A decade of WHO global immunization campaign to eradicate smallpox was a success, the last natural case occurred in Somalia in October 1977. The destruction of the virus is the natural end of the eradication campaign, said Hammond.
"There is a moral and historical duty to see the eradication of the final," he said.
The checklist
In the years after eradication, countries destroyed their stockpiles of viruses or transferred until two designated areas for storage has remained at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the State Institute for Viral Preparations Moscow. The Russian stock market was transferred to a facility Koltsovo, Siberia.
The debate over the destruction of the last two actions were initiated in 1980, but the virus has been a series of suspension of the operation, according to Tucker.
In 1993, the Americans to delay the destruction of plans to sequence the genome of the virus to comply. Since then, the United States rejects a virus in the case of undeclared stockpiles in countries like Iran and North Korea aside, Tucker said. These countries have refused to hold the virus.
The World Health Assembly decided in 1999 to the virus keeping close temporarily for research on defense against the improvement, including a more secure version of the vaccine, an antiviral drug that is already infected, and a means simulate a smallpox study in animals to be treated.
Scientists disagree about whether we should have the virus around to do the job.
Hruby works on antiviral treatment for people living too long, the vaccine is effective. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, could become a leading treatment for smallpox.
"The U.S. regulatory authorities under the guidelines that are pending approval of the drug showed activity against pathogens authentic look. In this case it is smallpox, "said Hruby.
The question of adoption is complicated by the inability of scientists to simulate a smallpox well in animals, an important step towards approval, since the tests were performed on other animals to humans.
Terrorism is an epidemic of smallpox likely source - more likely than 500 years of hurricanes, according to Dr. Kenneth Bernard, a senior expert of bio-terrorism, the Clinton and George W. George W. Bush. However, the population would be vulnerable to the release of the highly contagious virus (nonstandard vaccinations for decades), and the consequences can be enormous, "said Bernard.
In addition to preventing the destruction, antivirals and vaccines could be a disincentive side, "he said. "In fact, it took from the table as a biological weapon, because we would be as well protected against it would probably not be effective if used."
Meanwhile, to destroy the virus and the labeling of the destruction of a crime against humanity do not deter terrorists, "he said. "Are you sure of what is considered 09.11 terrorists thought, even for a moment that can not fly into the Twin Towers, and later be convicted of committing a crime under international law of West? "
A complication modern
In 2002, scientists built the first synthetic virus - one based on clues found on the Internet, nothing less. This development increases the likelihood that even after the destruction of smallpox virus could be created from scratch in a laboratory or well-intentioned scientists or bad terrorists.
One of the scientists behind the first synthesis, Eckard Wimmer, a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University in New York, calls for the destruction of the virus because the virus would be extremely difficult to synthesize.
"Not only do you have experience, laboratory space, high-containment does not pollute the environment, and expensive instruments, this is a barrier for malicious intent," Wimmer said, "If a government . I was doing, they have the resources. But with the scientific community hopes that this will not happen, because in a sense, someone who would release the virus over time would get hurt, because the virus again. Synthesis of people can be protected, but his family, friends and the community they live in the state in which they reside will not be protected. "