It’s my understanding that when they announced the eradication of smallpox (back in 1978 or 1979 I believe) they only kept 2 repositories of samples. One at the CDC and another at the Ivanovsky Institute of Virology. Both repositories were kept under tight security. There’s no way in hell that Merck had some lost samples stashed away in some back room freezer!
The story says the vials were labeled “Smallpox”. If they were Smallpox vaccine vials I would think the vials would be labeled “Vaccinia”. Either way, it’s complete BS that smallpox would be tucked away in some Merck freezer in PA. They kept very close tabs on all smallpox samples.
It’s my understanding that when they announced the eradication of smallpox (back in 1978 or 1979 I believe) they only kept 2 repositories of samples. One at the CDC and another at the Ivanovsky Institute of Virology. Both repositories were kept under tight security. There’s no way in hell that Merck had some lost samples stashed away in some back room freezer!
And yet Bill G had to say Smallpox outbreak just a few weeks ago
The story says the vials were labeled “Smallpox”. If they were Smallpox vaccine vials I would think the vials would be labeled “Vaccinia”. Either way, it’s complete BS that smallpox would be tucked away in some Merck freezer in PA. They kept very close tabs on all smallpox samples.