Hundreds of deadly viruses have disappeared from an Australian lab in a ‘massive breach’ of data security.
yesterday, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls has announced that 323 cases of the virus are now unknown.
This includes about 100 Plates of hendra virus, two Plates of hantavirus, and 223 Plates of lyssavirus – all of which are highly lethal to humans.
Queensland officials insist that while models may be armed, this is ‘not what amateurs do’.
The samples disappeared in 2021 but researchers only confirmed the breach in August 2023.
Plates of the deadly virus were apparently lost by Queensland’s Public Health Virology Laboratory when the freezer they were stored in broke.
Speaking at a press conference, Queensland Health Commissioner John Gerrard said: “It is this phase of the transfer that is causing concern.
‘He was transferred to a working freezer without the necessary paperwork to be completed. The items may have been removed from the safe and lost, or are unknown.’
Scientists at an Australian virus laboratory have thrown away more than 300 samples of deadly viruses in a ‘massive breach’ of biosecurity (stock image)
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls (pictured) revealed that the samples were lost in 2021 but that their absence was not identified until August 2023.
The three types of viruses that emerged from the lab all have the potential to kill people.
Hendra virus primarily affects horses but can jump to humans where the mortality rate is approximately 57%.
The virus was first discovered in 1994 after an outbreak that affected 21 racehorses and two people in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra.
According to the WHO, this virus is a parasite that jumps into horses and then humans.
Hantavirus is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, virus that comes from rodents and is spread in their droppings, urine, and saliva.
In humans, the virus causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which causes fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, and fluid-filled lungs.
According to the CDC, the disease is fatal in 38 percent of all symptomatic cases.
Lyssavirus, meanwhile, is a type of rabies that can infect humans and other animals.
The samples also include 100 plates of the hendra virus (pictured) a disease-causing virus that infects horses and humans with a mortality rate of 57%.
The virus released is an example of a ‘zoonotic virus’ that spreads from animals to humans. There is growing concern around the world that wildlife trade and habitat destruction may increase the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks.
Once symptoms of lyssavirus infection develop there is no known treatment and it is almost always fatal, resulting in approximately 59,000 deaths worldwide each year.
Queensland authorities were able to confirm the samples were missing this month after waiting a year for approval to open the freezer where they were stored.
It is not known where the samples may be or if they have already been destroyed.
However, there is currently no evidence that people are at risk of contracting the disease due to a lack of the substance.
Mr Gerrard says: “It’s hard to imagine what people might be at risk of.
“It’s important to note that virus samples can degrade quickly outside of a low-temperature freezer and remain non-infectious.
‘It is likely that the samples were destroyed by autoclaving as a routine laboratory practice and not fully documented.’
Mr Gerrard says it is unlikely the samples would have been thrown away with the rest of the laboratory’s waste.
Queensland health chief John Gerrard (pictured) said there was no evidence the samples were stolen or stolen. He says it is possible that the samples were simply lost when they were transferred between refrigerators
He adds: ”Importantly, there have been no human cases of Hendra or Lyssavirus in Queensland in the past five years, and there have been no reports of Hantavirus in humans in Australia.”
There is also no reason to believe that the lab samples were deliberately stolen for any nefarious reason.
Although the viruses themselves can be dangerous, their low pathogenicity means they cannot be effective weapons without extensive genetic advice.
Speaking at a press conference Mr Gerrard said: ‘There is no indication that this has been taken from a laboratory. Secondly, (…) we have no evidence that the hendra virus has been weaponized in any way in any research laboratory.
‘Of course, this type of investigation is done in secret, but we don’t know that this was armed in any way.
‘The virus’s weaponization process is very complex, and it’s not a game thing they do.’
Queensland Health has now commissioned an independent investigation into how the samples could have been lost and how they can ensure this does not happen again.
The inquiry will be led by retired High Court Judge the Hon Martin Daubney AM KC with biosecurity researcher Dr Julian Druce as co-investigator.
There have been no infections related to the three strains of the virus that have been lost by the lab. However, there is currently no indication of where the 323 vials of virus may be (stock photo)
Mr Nicholls said the Ministry of Health had advised them of what had happened so that this would not happen again.
These procedures include retraining staff to ensure compliance and reviewing all necessary permits to ensure accountability and proper storage.
Speaking at a press conference, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said: “I want to emphasize that there have been no medical incidents related to this.
‘Therefore we have no evidence to date of any incident occurring as a result of the loss or damage of these devices.’
