The government in Queensland, Australia, announced on Monday, that hundreds of vials containing deadly live virus samples have gone missing from a lab in the region. Australia’s government has instructed the public health department and Queensland Health to investigate the vials’ disappearance.
The government has labeled this incident a “major historical breach of biosecurity protocols.”
The report states that 323 vials of various deadly diseases including the Hendra virus, Lyssavirus, and Hantavirus, have gone missing for more than a year, as they have been missing from Public Health Virology Laboratory in Queensland since August 2023.
Most of Missing Virus Vials contained animal-to-human viruses common in Australia
Most of the viruses in the missing vials were animal-to-human viruses commonly found in Australia. For instance, Hendra is a virus that fits in this category and is only found in Australia.
According to the Australian Centres for Disease Control, the Hantavirus is considered one of the deadliest viruses, as it is part of a family of viruses that can lead to serious illness and death. On the other hand, the Lyssavirus belongs to a group of viruses best known for causing rabies.
The Public Health Virology Laboratory in Queensland, where the vials went missing, provides diagnostic services, surveillance, and research focused on viruses and pathogens, including those transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks that have medical significance.
Authorities investigating the disappearance released a statement saying they did not know whether or not the vials were destroyed or simply stolen. The conclusion reached so far is that there is no evidence indicating a risk to the community.
It is also worth saying that the government’s investigation into the disappearance of the vials is a part nine investigation investigation.
Minister Timothy Nicholls announced the nine-part investigation over this biohazard incident
In a statement announcing the investigation, Australian minister Timothy Nicholls said, “With such a serious breach of biosecurity protocols and infectious virus samples potentially missing, Queensland Health must investigate what occurred and how to prevent it from happening again.”
He also added that the nine-part investigation will also look to ensure no evidence has been overlooked in responding to the incident. He also called for further scrutiny of the policies and procedures currently in operation at the lab. Finally, he announced the investigation will also look into regulatory compliance and staff conduct in the lab.
Queensland Health has proactively conducted audits to ensure hazardous materials are stored correctly and has retrained staff on the required regulations.
Despite this situation being extremely serious, Chief Health Officer, Dr. John Gerrard released a statement that could potentially calm people.
In it, he said, “It’s important to note that virus samples would degrade very rapidly outside a low-temperature freezer and become non-infectious. It’s very unlikely that samples were discarded in general waste, as this would be completely outside routine laboratory practice.”
