Australian Lab Loses Hundreds of Deadly Virus Samples

 In 2021, a freezer malfunctioned at a public health virology lab in Queensland, Australia. This incident led to the hurried relocation of hundreds of vials containing deadly viruses to another storage chamber. However, the transfer was conducted hastily and without proper documentation.

By August 2023, authorities discovered that the whereabouts of many of these vials were unknown. Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, John Gerrard, revealed earlier this week that a total of 323 vials had been lost.

He stated that the vials “may have been removed from this secure storage facility and are now lost or otherwise unaccounted for.”

The missing vials include nearly 100 samples of the Hendra virus, two of hantavirus, and 223 of lyssavirus—each posing significant risks to human health....<<<Read More>>>...