Labs told to destroy N2H2 virus

[Menydh]

Labs told to destroy killer virus

CNN News
April 13, 2005

The World Health Organization has told laboratories to immediately destroy samples of a flu virus after a Canadian lab identified it as a strain that triggered a 1957 pandemic.

The order to destroy the vials was sparked by a slim, but real risk that the samples could spark a global flu epidemic.

Five thousand vials of the 1957 strain of the "Asian flu" virus were sent out to more than 3,700 labs in 18 nations from September until early April.

That particular strain killed more than one million people, including about 70,000 in the United States, in a 1957-58 pandemic.

Because the virus has not been included in flu vaccines since 1968, anyone born after that would not be immune to that strain.

Virus samples are distributed to laboratories so lab workers can test their ability to identify samples, but they are normally strains in current or recent circulation.

WHO influenza chief Klaus Stohr told The Associated Press the risk is relatively low that a lab worker will get sick, but there was a concern because of the large number of labs that received it.

"If someone does get infected, the risk of severe illness is high and this virus has shown to be fully transmissible."

It is unclear why the strain was in the test kits sent out to the labs, but AP quoted WHO's Stohr as saying the decision was "unwise" and unfortunate.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control agrees there is little risk to the public from the virus.

CDC spokesman Dan Rutz said there have been no cases of illness reported and insisted there is "no public health threat."

The virus, known as influenza A/H2N2, was distributed by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), which obtained the samples from a Cincinnati-based vendor.

All but 61 of the 3,700 labs the samples were sent to places in the United States or Canada.

All samples should be destroyed within a day or two, said Dr. Jared Schwartz, a spokesman for the College of American Pathologists. The virus can be killed either by incineration or by chemicals, he said.

"We under no circumstances would ever vouch for an H2N2 to be sent out," Schwartz said.

Schwartz said his organization requested samples of an influenza A virus with a biological safety level of 2 -- meaning it can be handled safely under standard laboratory conditions -- from the vendor, Meridian Bioscience.

The 1957 flu virus has for years been a level 2 virus, but many countries have upgraded it to a biosafety level of 3 because so many people have no immunity to it, the AP reported.

Schwartz said it was not clear whether the company knew the samples were of the H2N2 strain.

"According to their records, they did not believe this was a highly pathogenic virus," he said.

There was no immediate comment from Meridian Bioscience, but Schwartz said his organization was told the vendor received the virus from another company in 2000.

Schwartz said his organization requested "an influenza A, period," and the vendor's paperwork indicated that is what they had.

"Most laboratories would just say it's an influenza A and destroy the sample," he said.

But a laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, went further, identified it as the 1957 pandemic strain and notified the Centers for Disease Control, he said.

Schwartz said his organization will ask the CDC to approve strains sent out for testing in the future, and samples will be limited to pathogens covered by current vaccines.

"This is the first time, thank God, that we have had, in any of our proficiency testing, issues focused on as a potential problem," he said.

"It's regrettable, and a lot of communication needs to be improved to be sure that this doesn't happen again. And we're going to be working with the CDC to make sure of that."



[source]

[Menydh]

International response to the distribution of a H2N2 influenza virus for laboratory testing: Risk considered low for laboratory workers and the public*

Communication and press release by
the World Health Organization
April 12, 2005

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) informed WHO on 26 March that an influenza A/H2N2 virus was identified by a local laboratory in Canada. The H2N2 virus identified was found to be similar to H2N2 viruses that circulated in humans in 1957-58 at the beginning of the so-called Asian influenza pandemic. The H2N2 virus which circulated at this time was fully transmissible among humans. It continued to circulate in humans and cause annual epidemics until 1968, when it vanished after the emergence of influenza A/H3N2 viruses that caused the next pandemic. Therefore, persons born after 1968 are expected to have no or only limited immunity to H2N2. H2N2 virus is not contained in current trivalent influenza vaccines.

Appropriate biosafety measures were immediately taken at the involved laboratory in Canada and respiratory surveillance measures initiated. Subsequent investigation by the Public Health Agency of Canada traced the source of the H2N2 virus to a panel of proficiency testing samples containing influenza A and influenza B viruses which the Canadian laboratory received from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in February 2005. CAP routinely sends various panels of proficiency testing samples to participating laboratories every year. Normally, currently circulating influenza A viruses (H3N2; H1N1) are used for proficiency testing. The H2N2 virus was distributed by CAP for the first time in October 2004.

WHO, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the USA and its Centers for Disease Control were informed of the situation by PHAC on 8 April. Subsequent investigation revealed that similar proficiency testing samples with H2N2 virus were sent to 3747 laboratories in 18 countries. Sixty one of these laboratories are located in 16 countries outside the USA and Canada ( see list of countries and areas below). HHS has recently learnt that other proficiency testing providers have sent additional H2N2 containing samples to further laboratories in the USA. HHS is taking steps to ensure the rapid destruction of this material.

On 8 April, after a request by the US government, CAP asked all laboratories which participated in the proficiency testing to immediately destroy samples containing the H2N2 virus. On 12 April, a second correspondence from CAP to these laboratories further requested that destruction of the H2N2 virus be confirmed and that any case of respiratory disease among laboratory workers be investigated and notified to national authorities. WHO has received the list of addresses of the involved laboratories and has provided detailed contact information to the relevant Ministries of Health and requested their collaboration.

As of today, there have been no reports of H2N2 infections in laboratory workers associated with the distribution of the H2N2 samples from CAP. The proper use of biological safety cabinets, along with the use of recommended personal protective equipment, greatly reduces the risk of laboratory-acquired influenza infections. While a few H2N2 laboratory acquired infections have been documented in the past, the likelihood of laboratory-acquired influenza infection is considered low when proper biosafety precautions are followed. The risk for the general population is also considered low. As a precautionary measure, WHO is recommending that all samples of the proficiency testing panel from CAP and any other proficiency testing providers containing H2N2 and any derivates be destroyed immediately. WHO further recommends that biosafety procedures be reviewed for use on influenza viruses that have not circulated recently in humans and against which the majority of the population would have no protective immunity.

*List of countries and areas

Bermuda
Belgium
Brazil
Chile
France
Germany
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
Israel
Italy
Japan
Lebanon
Mexico
The Republic of Korea
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Taiwan, China

[Dr. Solar Wolff]

This was done by the largest and most responsible of our labratories. They are responsible for almost all public heath issues regarding disease for the USA. Our best and brightest are said to work here, or do they? I rest my case against Affirmative Action. I really don't know if this was an accident or not but nobody has been fired over this.

I remember the epidemic in question very well even though I was only about 10 years old. It was not the worst flu epidemic in history by any means but it was no laughing matter either.