With regards to my previous post you are all aware we were asked to discuss our position attributing to the question 'whether the last known stocks of the Variola virus (smallpox) should be destroyed?'.
I agree that it should.
Small pox is a contagious viral disease that infected only humans and had the mortality rate of about 30%. Through history it has claimed hundreds of millions of lives and left survivors with the perpetual reminders with disfigurements and scars. In 1966 the WHO launched a global vaccination campaign to eliminate smallpox from the planet. The campaign was one of the greatest health achievements of the 20th Century leading to smallpox being eradicated from nature, this was confirmed in 1980 and has remained that way for more than 30 years. Following this there has not been a naturally acquired case of smallpox since 1977.
I am in support of the destruction of smallpox because If there has been no known cases of the virus for over 30 years why would authorities keep a deadly virus and risk the health of the general public?
Having read 5 pieces of research on the debate (2 given by tutor, 3 of my own findings) both sides of the argument are relative to mention, however for public safety i would agree stocks should be destroyed.
The Smallpox Destruction Debate: Could a Grand Bargain Settle the Issue?
''According to WHO records the University of Birmingham in the UK
caused 2 infections and 1 death from the result of accidental release of smallpox in 1978, Following this WHO adopted Resolution 33.4 in 1980 calling on all nations to destroy their collections of smallpox virus or transfer them to the WHO-sanctioned collections at one of two labs in Russia or the United States.'' (Tucker, 2009)
The global public health community assumes that all nations acted in good faith; however, no one has ever attempted to verify or validate compliance with the WHO request.
The global public health community assumes that all nations acted in good faith; however, no one has ever attempted to verify or validate compliance with the WHO request.
It is quite possible that undisclosed or forgotten stocks exist; due to this reason many countries believe samples of the smallpox virus should be kept as a defence mechanism if a bio weapon should be created from the stock unaccounted for.
Although having some remains of smallpox available to prevent or treat an epidemic or bio weapon may appear beneficial, it is a greater threat to have stock available then to destroy it.
'In 2002 it was confirmed a synthetic version of the virus could be created using the virus' genomic information available online' (Tucker, 2009), therefore whether the virus was a eliminated or not there would still be a risk of it being used as a bio weapon, having the stock available in two known laboratories makes it easier for a bio weapon to be created as the product already exists; surly if scientist know so much about the virus that it can in fact be recreated, they should already retain all information necessary with regards to the virus and its structure, the surest way to protect the public is to demolish the risk for good and destroy the last known stocks.
Artiticle: 2 
Proposed Destruction of Smallpox Virus Creates Controversy
Wynne Parry, LivingScience Senior Writer
Date: April, 12, 2011
''Theoretically all nations agree at some point all stocks and samples of smallpox should be destroyed, the debate is when this should take place?'' says Wynne Parry senior writer at livescience. ''Global officials have extended the decision by a further 3 years, and this is not the first time the destruction of smallpox has been delayed, the original date should have taken place December 31, 1993'', (Parry, 2011), having had a further 19 years to study the virus and retain any information felt necessary from it, why is the date continually being extended?
According to Dennis Hruby, chief scientific officer of the pharmaceutical company SIGA , which is developing a treatment for smallpox he believes "It would be very important to have something on the shelf that would help prevent or treat an epidemic, whether a virus was introduced by a terrorist or Mother Nature," he continues to advise ''It is possible for humans to catch other closely related pox viruses, and it's also possible that a smallpox-like virus could re-emerge from the remaining pox viruses'' Hruby (2011).
Supporting Hruby, Bill Hall, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services', wrote in an email to LiveScience saying "we strongly believe the WHA [World Health Assembly] should recommend continued retention of the samples until the needed research is complete." (Hall, 2011)
Understandably before the virus is destroyed all relevant knowledge needs to be known, however having had 3 decades to study the virus and successfully producing a vaccine to eliminate it, it has been shown scientist are fully aware of the structure and ability of smallpox. If smallpox were to return now, it would come back crucially different from what it was a generation ago. If the virus was to mutate, we would still not have the ability to prevent that virus as further research and vaccines would be necessary, not to mention the world is much more crowded than it was back when models of smallpox were constructed so the disease would be spread much more easily and with the vaccines created at the time not as efficient to individuals health needs and in limited supply, an accidental release of the virus could be deadly.
Article:3
Should the world's last smallpox virus be destroyed?
Post by: (2011)
According to CNN Health there are 451 samples of smallpox strains at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States and about 120 stored in a lab called "Vector" in a remote Siberian town in Russia.
Dr. D.A. Henderson, who was in charge of the WHO's global smallpox eradication program, believes that 'since two new vaccines have now been developed and development of two new antiviral drugs is almost complete, it's time to let go of these stockpiles, before they cause more harm then good.' (Henderson, 2009).
With new vaccines and drugs complete there is no need to retain live samples of the smallpox, with the virus now not posing a threat in nature the only threat to be seen is the remaining live samples. With 571 known samples still available in labs in the U.S and Russia, there is no certainty they will remain secure and how long for.
With the information i have gathered through out my research i strongly agree all stocks of smallpox should be destroyed. Having had 3 decades to study the structure and ability of smallpox and successfully creating 2 new vaccines and alternative medication, smallpox no longer poses a threat to the public, the only threat is bio weapons that could just as easily be created using a synthetic version of the virus which would take longer and require more skills and facilities then having the virus already available. By destroying the last known stocks of smallpox i believe is the best way to protect the public.
(please see my recent pages for my bibliography)
Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post
(please see my recent pages for my bibliography)
Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post
Excellent work, Tanya - very clear and just enough detail; excellent discussion.
ReplyDeletePete