Smallpox virus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoBbwoJMqy4

14/4/2013.

Should the last two remaining known stocks of smallpox be destroyed? 

   

This essay serves to debate whether the last two remaining known stocks of smallpox should be destroyed. The Chinese were the first to discover and use a primitive form of vaccination called variolation in 900AD.  It was Dr Edward Jenner, a British physician, who discovered the smallpox vaccination in 1776 in its modern form and proved to the scientific community that it worked (Public Health Service Historian 2011). The last case of small pox was in 1977 in Somalia. Today the last known stocks of small pox (Variola) virus are locked up in the World Health Organisation authorised repositories in Russia and United States. I was intrigued by the question title but I could not decide which side of the argument to follow. After reading a few articles I was sure that I supported the suggestion that the last two remaining known stocks of smallpox should not be destroyed. My readings were from Betsy McKay, from The Wall Street Journal published on May 25^th 2011; Edward Hammond from the Third World Network published May 2011and Katie Leslie from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published 27^th January 2011.

The work of Edward Hammond, a consultant for Third World Network, (a nongovernmental organisation) impressed me. According to Edward Hammond several attempts have been made to destroy the small pox virus but without success, because of the controversy it created. The United States agreed that it would be best if the remaining samples of the virus were stored safely and scientists continued to study them, in case of a future biological threat, and then destroy them afterwards. The Russians emphasised that it was too dangerous to dispose of the collections. The African Nations supported by the Middle East and many other countries say that the safest option is to destroy the last stockpile immediately. Furthermore Edward Hammond states that a decade ago smallpox was declared eradicated globally, with the last case being in 1977 in Somalia. The WHA authorised withholding of Vioriola virus stocks for essential public health research for the new antiviral drugs. It is understood that this is the proof of the availability of two compounds to treat variola infections. At the moment there are two candidates for treatment of Small pox infection -ST-246 and CMX001 proprietary compounds owned by the US pharmaceutical companies Siga and Chimeric, respectively both have verified efficiency in a different range of experience. If all this is successful there should be an effective Vioriola virus vaccine should smallpox reappear.

According to the officials at Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta the centre’s security is so tight that they are quite confident that the chances of the virus getting into the wrong hands are to no avail. This also applies to Koltsovo, in Siberia.

The above mentioned evidence helped me choose my stance. It is clear that these two countries mean no harm. The fact that they have owned up to the world proves that they mean no harm to the world. This is especially important given the possibility of potential use of smallpox in biological warfare; it is not known if any nation is keeping undisclosed stocks of the virus in order to develop biological weapons.

 In my opinion if stocks of the last smallpox virus are destroyed, researchers may not have anything to work on while carrying out research. The virus should be stored in case similar situations come up in the future. Samples of actual smallpox virus are needed in order to develop an effective vaccine. This is especially important given the possibility of potential use of smallpox in biological warfare; it is not known if any nation is keeping secret undisclosed stocks of the virus in order to develop biological weapons.