Hundreds of vials containing deadly viruses have gone missing from a laboratory in Australia.
The incident was caused by "violations of biosafety protocols."
The Belta agency reported this with reference to the Newsweek publication.
What exactly is missing?
Queensland's Health Minister says 323 live viruses are missing, including Hendra virus, lyssavirus and hantavirus.
According to him, they disappeared in 2021 due to a “serious breach of biosafety protocols.”
It was only in August last year that the "shortage" was discovered. And about a hundred of the missing vials contained the deadly Hendra virus.
Another 223 tubes contained lyssavirus samples, and two contained hantavirus.
Viruses
As for the Hendra virus, it was first identified in the mid-90s of the twentieth century.
It is known to be carried by bats and causes fatal infection in horses and humans.
The lethality of this virus, according to scientists, is at least 57%.
Hantavirus is transmitted by rodents and can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The fatality rate is about 38%.
Lyssavirus is similar to rabies. It has a very high mortality rate.
Versions
Laboratory staff were unable to explain what happened to the samples of these viruses.
It is believed that the test tubes disappeared after the freezer they were stored in broke.
There is a hypothesis that they could have been transferred to a working chamber, but they forgot to complete the necessary paperwork.
Queensland's Health Officer says the risk to local communities is low because the viruses are virtually impossible to survive outside special low-temperature freezers.
An investigation is underway into the incident.
