Australia loses 300 vials of deadly virus

Queensland Health, Australia confirmed that 323 dangerous virus vials were lost from a laboratory three years ago, their whereabouts are currently unknown.

On December 11, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls announced that 323 vials of live viruses had gone missing in 2021. Among them were nearly 100 vials of Hendra virus, two vials of Hanta virus and 223 vials of Lyssavirus, all of which are extremely dangerous to humans. Officials called it a 'serious biosecurity breach.'

Virus samples went missing from the Queensland Public Health Virology Laboratory, but investigators only confirmed the incident in August 2023. Officials believe the vials were lost when a freezer malfunctioned.

"The transfer of virus samples is concerning. They were moved to another freezer without proper documentation. The virus samples may have been removed from secure storage and lost," Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard told a press conference.

The three strains that leaked from the lab are all potentially deadly. Hendra virus primarily infects horses but can also infect humans, with an estimated fatality rate of 57%. The virus was first detected in 1994 after an outbreak in 21 racehorses and two people in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus's natural host is fruit bats, from which it spread to horses and humans.

Hantavirus is a zoonotic virus that originates in rats and is spread through their feces, urine, and saliva. In humans, the virus causes Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which causes fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, and fluid in the lungs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the fatality rate for this virus is 38% in all symptomatic cases.

Meanwhile, Lyssavirus is a form of rabies virus that can infect humans and other mammals. There is no cure for this disease in the world. Therefore, the mortality rate of patients is nearly 100%. It is estimated that the world records about 59,000 deaths from this disease each year.

Illustration of test tubes in a laboratory. (Photo: Pexel).

Queensland authorities were only able to confirm the missing virus samples in November, as they had to wait a year (from late 2023) to open the freezer where the virus was stored. It is not yet clear where the vials are or whether they have been destroyed. However, there is no evidence that people are at risk from the vials.

'It is difficult to imagine a scenario where the public would be at risk. It is important to note that the virus samples degrade very quickly outside the freezer and are no longer infectious. It is likely that the samples were autoclaved as part of routine laboratory procedures and were not properly documented ,' said Gerrard.

Mr Gerrard added that it was unlikely that the virus samples were discarded with laboratory waste. Queensland has also not recorded any cases of Hendra, Lyssavirus and Hantavirus in the past five years.

There is also no evidence that the virus was deliberately stolen for malicious purposes. Viruses are dangerous, but have a low infection rate, so they cannot be used as biological weapons without genetic modification.

'The process of weaponizing a virus is very complex and not something an amateur can do ,' said Mr Gerrard.

Queensland Health has commissioned an independent investigation into the missing virus samples to ensure this does not happen again. The investigation will be led by retired Supreme Court Justice Martin Daubney AM KC, and co-investigator biosecurity expert Julian Druce.