Investigation Launched Into Queensland Lab Breach, With Vials of Deadly Viruses Missing (abc.net.au) 59
An anonymous reader shares a report: Nearly 100 live samples of the deadly Hendra virus have been lost in a biosecurity bungle at a state-run Queensland laboratory. An investigation has been launched after it was revealed 323 virus samples went missing from Virology Laboratory in 2021 in a "major breach" of biosecurity protocol, Health Minister Tim Nicholls announced on Monday.
The material, which included samples of Hendra virus, lyssavirus and hantavirus, appears to have gone missing after a freezer storing the samples broke down. Mr Nicholls said the breach was uncovered in August 2023. The lab has been unable to say whether the materials were removed or destroyed. "It's this part of the transfer of those materials that is causing concern," Mr Nicholls said.
The material, which included samples of Hendra virus, lyssavirus and hantavirus, appears to have gone missing after a freezer storing the samples broke down. Mr Nicholls said the breach was uncovered in August 2023. The lab has been unable to say whether the materials were removed or destroyed. "It's this part of the transfer of those materials that is causing concern," Mr Nicholls said.
Re: Pandemic 2.0 (Score:1, Flamebait)
TDS is like clockwork here, huh?
"Need today: water is wet!" /.: "yeah I bet Trump something something water! Grrrr!"
AC on
Re:Systemic failure (Score:5, Informative)
Re: Systemic failure (Score:3)
May Hanlon's razor protect us.
Re: Systemic failure (Score:5, Interesting)
That doesn't stop them killing animals or humans (see below). Hendra virus is easily caught by unvaccinated horses, with the result that every (domestic) animal within a kilometre of the infected animal, is exterminated. That can be a few hundred head of livestock and your pets.
Yep, just like Ebola: Certain African monkeys have it and occasionally it gets into humans, then humans spread it just by shaking hands. Go learn about the trouble they had stopping it in 2013. Don't imagine that happening to your country: That was slow-moving Ebola. There's a fast-moving Ebola, so imagine an Ebola plague happening 10 times faster: There isn't time to make more medicine or create quarantine zones.
Lyssavirus is a form of rabies (in Australian bats) but early symptoms are flu-like. The time it takes to discover it's not the flu, is the time the disease takes to kill you.
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Hendra has too many unknowns, but just given the way "outbreaks" have occurred since it first showed up, I wouldn't say it's much of a threat, either.
All of these viruses are real nasty. All of them have basically zero epidemic potential.
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Alternatively, they may be sitting in some other freezer, and no one has found they yet
As plausible as that *was* you don't typically follow a process of "Health Minister informs general public via press release a year after we originally noticed, but we had no time to look so we'll go check if we looked in the wrong freezer after."
Re: Systemic failure (Score:3, Informative)
Sigh. A "live" virus is a weakened form of a virus that retains infectious power but not cause illness. Head. Desk.
live (Score:2)
Then what is the virus that does cause the disease called?
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Active
Re: live (Score:2)
Superlive?
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Superlive?
That's only the ones that wear tights and capes.
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You should stop that, it's obviously affecting your intellect.
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>"went missing from Virology Laboratory in 2021 in a 'major breach' ... Health Minister Tim Nicholls announced on Monday ... the breach was uncovered in August 2023 ..."
Seems like some major breaches in time, too.
He's right
From the article...
Recommendations will be made in a report to be delivered to the health department by June 30 this year.
So it's clearly time shenanigans. Someone from the future needed pristine samples to fight off a pandemic. So came back and took them, hoping to also come back and replace them before anyone noticed. The fact they weren't replaced does not bode well for that timeline. We need to start working on vaccines now.
Unless that's what sets the whole chain in motion... nevermind, just do nothing, it's probably just a clerical error... probably...
Re: Systemic failure (Score:2)
Maybe there's a local wet market nearby?
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Re: Odd (Score:1)
Fast food workers provide value to society, unlike someone who thinks "lab leak" means creationism.
Why do you think calling someone a fast food worker means anything?
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Fast food workers provide value to society, unlike someone who thinks "lab leak" means creationism.
Indeed they do! Are they're compensated duly ;)
Why do you think calling someone a fast food worker means anything?
It does mean something... What kind of silly question is that? It means they work fast food
Is anyone responsible? (Score:5, Insightful)
The UK gave up small pox after it was painfully shown that they couldn't be trusted with it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Not an arms race, no sir (Score:2)
It's a bungle, not a cold war biological arms race. Nothing to see here; move along.
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A biological cold war would be worse, because we've seen over and over it's difficult to keep these biological agents from escaping and attacking your own people. Which is why during the real cold war, neither side proceeded too far with it.
Thankfully our incoming HHS secretary has the solution. It's called "ethnic targeting".
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A biological cold war would be worse, because we've seen over and over it's difficult to keep these biological agents from escaping and attacking your own people. Which is why during the real cold war, neither side proceeded too far with it.
Why am I hearing "Don't Fear the Reaper" as I read this post?
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"Over and over"? I think this might be true in Hollywood, but extremely few cases in real life. If any.
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Yeah, yeah. (Score:2, Insightful)
Everything in Australia is trying to kill you.
Re: Yeah, yeah. (Score:2)
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Everyone know it's a myth. In reality drop bears burrow up from the ground to catch you unaware.
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If youve ever watched the top 10 most deadly animals, most do come from Australia; lol.
Wait a minute ... (Score:1)
I remember this story. There was some outage due to a storm or something that brought down the storage facility and the samples needed to be stored at another location while the existing was repaired - it took two weeks to repair and restore power.
It made the news and everything. Has someone forgotten to update the transfer logs to say the samples were returned?
Re: Wait a minute ... (Score:2)
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Are you implying that Jurassic Park isn't real?
(PS: What am I supposed to do with these tickets?)
Re: Wait a minute ... (Score:2)
Love the clickbait headline (Score:3)
Oh, no! Obviously terrorists stole it for nefarious purposes! Run for the hills!
Okay, so we're talking about a "breach"... of safety protocols. Given what they're handling, that's still pretty bad. People could be harmed, but if so it's due to someone's carelessness or incompetence - which unfortunately isn't an uncommon tale.
Re: Love the clickbait headline (Score:2)
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If there's anything more to this than incompetence, I'd be inclined towards a disgruntled employee who saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. Such a person would know what they had, they'd know how to keep it safe and viable, and they'd probably have some idea of who might be willing to pay for it. Whether they followed through would be another question.
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Lab Leak (Score:2)
Maybe they should start testing the bat population.
Need better lab security (Score:2)
BUT - COVID demonstrated how a virus can cause damage and loss of life on the scale of a thermonuclear weapon, and laboratories are working with virus capable of causing similar levels of harm. Nuclear weapon
I've got a friend who works at that lab (Score:3)