Hundreds of samples of the deadly virus are missing from an Australian laboratory, the Queensland government announced on Monday.
The Government has directed Queensland Health – Australia. Public health The department — to launch an investigation into what it described as “a major historic breach of biosecurity protocol,” according to an online media statement.
It was reported that more than one of 323 vials Infectious virus – including hendravirus, lyssavirus and hantavirus – went missing from the Queensland Public Health Virology Laboratory in August 2023.
‘Disease X’ Kills Dozens In Congo – What To Know About Mysterious Illness
Hendra is a zoonotic (animal-to-human) virus found only in Australia.
Hantavirus is one. A family of viruses While lyssavirus is a group of viruses that can cause rabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can cause serious illness and death.
The lab where the samples disappeared provides “diagnostic services, virus and mosquito surveillance and research. Tick-borne pathogens of clinical importance,” the release said.
The statement said it is not known if the infectious samples were stolen or destroyed, and “there is no evidence of a threat to the community.”
The government has launched a “Section 9 investigation”.
Deadly Marburg epidemic, or ‘eye-bleeding virus’, leads to travel advisory
“With such a serious breach of biosecurity protocol and potentially missing infectious virus samples, Queensland Health must investigate what happened and how to prevent it from happening again,” Minister Timothy Nicholls said in the release. Go,” Minister Timothy Nicholls said in the release.
“The Part 9 investigation will ensure that nothing has been overlooked in the response to this incident and will examine existing policies and procedures at the laboratory.”
“The investigation will also look into regulatory compliance and staff conduct.”
The Lyssavirus family includes the rabies virus, which is almost universally fatal to humans if not treated in time. (iStock)
Nicholls added that Queensland Health had taken “proactive steps”, including retraining staff on the necessary regulations and conducting audits to ensure the correct storage of materials.
Sam Scarpino, Ph.D., director of AI and life sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, confirmed that Australia’s situation amounts to a “significant biosecurity breach.”
“Given the limited ability of any of these pathogens to be transmitted from one person to another, the risk of an epidemic is very low.”
“The pathogens that have been reported missing are all of high consequence and could pose a threat to the public,” he told Fox News Digital.
Scarpino said the three pathogens have high mortality rates in humans, but they are not easily transmitted from person to person.
Hendra is a zoonotic (animal-to-human) virus found only in Australia. (iStock)
“Some hantavirus cases have a case fatality rate of up to 15%, or are 100 times more lethal. Compared to COVID-19while others are more similar to COVID-19 in terms of severity,” he said.
He added that animals and livestock are also threatened by the three pathogens.
Confirmation of the first known case of a rare MPox strain in the United States
Lyssavirus belongs to the family Rabies viruswhich is almost universally fatal in humans if not treated in time, the expert noted.
“Given the limited ability of any of these pathogens to be transmitted from person to person, the risk of an epidemic is very low,” Scarpino said.
“It’s clear that we need some more investment and transparency around pathogen biosecurity,” said one expert. (iStock)
“However, Hendravirus — along with certain members of the hantavirus and lyssavirus families — can be very severe in humans and animals.”
Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerard reiterated in a media statement that there was no evidence of public risk.
Click here to get the Fox News app.
“It’s important to note that virus samples will degrade very quickly outside of a low-temperature freezer and become non-infectious,” he said.
“It is very unlikely that the samples were disposed of in general waste, as this would be completely outside of normal laboratory practice.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hantavirus is a family of viruses that can cause serious illness and death. (iStock)
Gerard noted that there had been no human cases of hendra or lyssa virus in Queensland in the past five years, and that hantavirus infection had “never been confirmed in Australia”.
Click here to sign up for our health newsletter.
Despite the low risk, Scarpino said, “It’s important to understand where these samples ended up, to confirm that there is no longer any risk of them being exposed.”
“While I appreciate. Australian Government To take it seriously, it is unacceptable that it took more than a year to make news of the breach public.”
“The pathogens that have been reported to be missing are all high-results.”
Scarpino noted that there have been similar high-profile biosecurity lapses in the United States.
“It’s clear that we need some more investment and transparency around pathogen biosecurity,” he added.
For more health related articles visit www.foxnews.com/health
Fox News Digital requested further comment from the Queensland Government.