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Missing H2N2

Ouch! The UN World Health Organization sent out samples of a very deadly flu virus to 4,000 labs in 18 countries. This was done at the request of the College of American Pathologists, which assists laboratories to do quality testing. Because people were worried about this virus getting into the wrong hands, the labs were asked to destroy it. Unfortunately, according to this article at CTV.CA, some labs are saying that they never received their package. Tow of those labs are in Mexico and Lebanon. From the article:

Deadly influenza virus shipments missing: WHO
Health experts have destroyed most samples of a deadly influenza strain mistakenly sent to labs around the world; but two shipments meant to reach Mexico and Lebanon are missing, UN officials said Friday.

"We don't know where these boxes got lost, but the investigation into what has happened between the shipment of these panels and their non-arrival is ranking very high on our 'to do' list," WHO influenza chief Klaus Stohr said, referring to the Mexico and Lebanon shipments.

And the flu virus itself:

H2N2 caused the 1957 pandemic that killed an estimated one million to four million people around the world. It was last seen in humans in 1968.

Posted by DaveH at April 15, 2005 4:38 PM