More than 300 deadly virus samples disappeared from a laboratory in Australia

In recent days it was learned that the authorities of Australia They are investigating the Queensland Public Health Virology Laboratory (Australia) to determine the causes of the disappearance of 323 dangerous viral samples in 2021, which was reported in 2023 but recently came to light.

For researchers, this is a “serious historical violation of biosafety protocols.” However, no signs of theft or unauthorized entry have been found in the laboratory, so there is some peace of mind on the part of the authorities, who have ruled out a possible risk that these bottles are being used as biological or malicious weapons.

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However, the whereabouts of these pieces, which contained dangerous microorganisms such as Hendra, Lyssavirus and Hantavirus, remains a mystery and raises some concern among some inhabitants of the territory. Although they are not in bad hands, the disappearance of these samples It may indicate poor management in the registration, control or destruction of these germs.

The contents of these samples can be life-threatening and even the local Minister of Health and Ambulance Services, Tim Nichollsmaintained that the citizens of Australia deserved to know what happened to these containers.

“Faced with such a serious violation of biosafety protocols and the possible disappearance of virus samples, Queensland Health must investigate what happened and prevent it from happening again,” said the minister.

What viruses disappeared in Australia in 2021, recently reported?

One of the viruses that disappeared from this laboratory is Hendraa microorganism from Australia that can be transmitted from animals to humans and cause serious acute respiratory diseases, to the point of causing death in those who suffer from its complications.

Another very dangerous virus, of which samples came from this laboratory, is the Hantavirus. This microorganism, according to various medical sources, can cause viral hemorrhagic fever or kidney syndrome. Likewise, Hantavirus leads to lung conditions that can also become complicated and cause death.

Finally, Lyssavirus, another of the viruses contained in the missing containers, is related to cases of rabiesa serious disease that mainly affects the nervous system.

Australian authorities rule out alarm for the population

Although the news may sound alarming, the authorities assure that, since there is no clear indication or evidence of theft, it is possible that these samples have been destroyed by autoclave. The error, then, would be that those in charge of carrying out this process did not make the corresponding record.

Furthermore, voices knowledgeable on the subject maintain that the moment these microorganisms leave the freezing environment in which they are found, they lose their ability to infect.