Is It Over?
A vial of smallpox vaccine.
"In a maximum-security facility in Atlanta, the world's most dangerous prisoner sits in solitary confinement, awaiting execution. Wanted for the torture and death of millions of people, this mass murderer was captured in a global dragnet lasting more than a decade. Although the prisoner has been condemned to death, the jailers are debating whether or not to carry out the sentence. Some believe that studying the killer's methods could help to develop better defenses against such crimes, yet others fear that the prisoner could escape and wreak mayhem on an even greater scale. While the debate continues, the execution has been postponed.
The world's most dangerous prisoner is the smallpox virus, and it is held inside two padlocked freezers in a secure room at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Some 450 samples of the virus in neatly labeled, half-inch plastic vials are arrayed on metal racks and immersed in a bath of liquid nitrogen that keeps them deep-frozen at -94 degrees Fahrenheit. Access to the smallpox repository requires two sets of keys controlled by different people; closed-circuit television cameras and electronic alarm systems maintain continuous surveillance. A second set of smallpox virus stocks lies in a similar vault at a Russian laboratory."
- Jonathan B. Tucker; Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
To this day, the only known smallpox viruses left are in two laboratories- one in Atlanta, Georgia and one in Moscow, Russia. Although the disease has been eradicated, many fear that smallpox could escape and cause worldwide mayhem on a much greater scale, while others believe that it is highly unlikely that the virus could ever escape. There was a lot of debate over whether the vials should be kept or destroyed, but ultimately some strains were kept for research purposes and some were kept to help forensic experts identify any newly emergent virus strains. Despite the concerns of smallpox being used as a biological weapons agent, we now live in a smallpox-free world.
The world's most dangerous prisoner is the smallpox virus, and it is held inside two padlocked freezers in a secure room at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Some 450 samples of the virus in neatly labeled, half-inch plastic vials are arrayed on metal racks and immersed in a bath of liquid nitrogen that keeps them deep-frozen at -94 degrees Fahrenheit. Access to the smallpox repository requires two sets of keys controlled by different people; closed-circuit television cameras and electronic alarm systems maintain continuous surveillance. A second set of smallpox virus stocks lies in a similar vault at a Russian laboratory."
- Jonathan B. Tucker; Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
To this day, the only known smallpox viruses left are in two laboratories- one in Atlanta, Georgia and one in Moscow, Russia. Although the disease has been eradicated, many fear that smallpox could escape and cause worldwide mayhem on a much greater scale, while others believe that it is highly unlikely that the virus could ever escape. There was a lot of debate over whether the vials should be kept or destroyed, but ultimately some strains were kept for research purposes and some were kept to help forensic experts identify any newly emergent virus strains. Despite the concerns of smallpox being used as a biological weapons agent, we now live in a smallpox-free world.