To Destroy or To Not Destroy?

Heard of the variola virus? If you haven't, you might want to check out Viruses 101's blog post about it here.

The variola virus, infamously known as one of the deadliest viruses in human history, causes smallpox. It's taken more lives than every other infectious disease combined. It killed more than 300 million people in the 20th century alone, more than triple the number killed in every war in the same hundred years. Twenty five years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox eradicated, and there hasn't been a case of smallpox reported since.

Now, of course, the question is: should they keep the stocks, or should they destroy them? Let's walk through the viewpoints of each side, shall we?

Picture Credit: WHO

Preserve the Virus!

The variola virus samples were set aside for WHO-approved research and experimentation - more specifically, to develop new antiviral drugs and vaccines. Dr. Damon, the director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Smallpox at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, says in a recent op-ed,


"Despite significant advances, there is more work to be done before the international community can be confident that it possesses sufficient protection against any future smallpox threats."


There are gaps in the knowledge we possess about the virus, and Dr. Damon makes it pretty clear that we still have more research to do. "We argue that the research agenda with live variola virus is not yet finished and that significant gaps still remain," he says. Preserving the virus would serve this exact purpose --allowing researchers to continue learning more about it, accessing it for testing, and studying it in detail. Even more importantly, in the event that we are threatened by another smallpox scare in the near future, the remaining strains are vital to making new vaccines and antiviral drugs.

This is incredibly important in light of recent news reporting that two herdsmen in the country of Georgia were infected by a brand-new virus similar to smallpox. The virus doesn't even have a name yet since so little is known about it. But because it is related to smallpox, studying the smallpox virus further could help us treat these types of cases -- even if smallpox itself is (hopefully) no longer a threat.

Then Again, Maybe Not.

But, naturally, there are risks and downsides to keeping the virus alive. Advocates for destroying the virus warn against bioterrorism -- the idea that if the virus is kept alive, it could get into the wrong hands and used for malicious purposes. This is a particularly scary idea with a virus that has such a staggering mortality rate, especially in light of similar cases from history. For instance, in 1978, after smallpox was globally eradicated, the virus escaped from a laboratory in Birmingham, England. Luckily, only two cases of smallpox occurred as a result of the accident, but such a situation could very well happen again -- but with even graver consequences.

There's another point we haven't considered. Advances in genomic biology now make it possible for us to replicate strains of viruses if we need them for study or experimentation. In this case, we don't need to keep the virus alive for further testing at all, because we could easily replicate the strains if we wished, thus making the existing vials of viruses insignificant.


Well, those were the two sides! If you were a member of the World Health Assembly, what side would you vote - to destroy or to not destroy?

Image Credits

References

Damon, I. Are We There Yet? The Smallpox Research Agenda Using Variola Virus. PLOS Pathogens (2014),
Doucleff, M. New Virus Related To Smallpox Is Found In Republic Of Georgia.NPR (2014).
Lallanilla, B. Bioterror Threat? New Smallpox-Related Virus Raises Alarms. LiveScience (2014).
WHO (World Health Organization). Smallpox.
Center for Disease Control. Smallpox Disease Overview.