PHM-Exch> No compelling public health reason to retain smallpox virus stocks

[Claudio Schuftan]

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*Third World** Network*

*www.twnside.org.sg*

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Please find pasted below an open letter from Civil Society that we wish to
circulate at the 64th World Health Assembly (WHA) (16-24 May 2011), and for
which we are seeking organizational endorsements.

In 2005, civil society and many developing country governments questioned
proposals from the US to genetically engineer the extremely dangerous
smallpox virus. While smallpox has been eradicated from nature since 1977
and solely exists at WHO Repository Laboratories in the US and Russia,
retention of the virus is temporarily authorized for research that is
essential to global public health. Since 1996, there have been repeated (and
unimplemented) WHA resolutions that the virus should be destroyed. Continued
retention of smallpox virus no longer serves any essential public health
purpose, and the possibility of its escape, amplified by the risks of
unnecessary research, threatens us all.

The discussions culminated in 2007 with a WHA resolution that states that
any research undertaken should not involve genetic engineering of the
smallpox virus and that mandated the conduct by WHO of a 'major review' of
smallpox virus research for presentation to the 64th WHA in 2011. The
outcome of this major review, which found no compelling scientific reason to
continue to retain the virus, provides clear justification to terminate
research involving live smallpox virus and to schedule the prompt
destruction of remaining smallpox virus stocks.

More background on the issue can be found at
http://www.smallpoxbiosafety.org


Please feel free to circulate this letter widely to your networks.



Please send all organizational endorsements to twnkl at twnetwork.org by 15
April 2011

Many thanks,

Lim Li Ching (Third World Network) and Edward Hammond


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*AN OPEN LETTER TO THE 64th WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY ON DESTRUCTION OF SMALLPOX
VIRUS STOCKS

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The undersigned civil society organizations from around the world call on
the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO), on the occasion of
the 64th World Health Assembly, to complete WHO’s historic Smallpox
Eradication Programme by resolving to promptly destroy, once and for all,
remaining stocks of smallpox (variola) virus.

After decades of remarkable international public health cooperation, in 1977
the scourge of smallpox was eliminated from the wild, leaving the last
remaining samples of the virus in laboratories. These virus stocks come from
all parts of the world. They were turned over to the WHO for safekeeping and
are held in WHO Repositories located in Russia and the United States.

Nearly a quarter century ago, in 1986, the WHO’s experts first recommended
that the viruses be destroyed, so that the risk of a future outbreak would
be radically reduced. This recommendation was followed by World Health
Assembly resolutions and more expert recommendations to destroy them. Yet
these dangerous viruses continue to exist.

These viruses serve no essential public health purpose. Smallpox virus is
not needed to respond to an outbreak. Smallpox vaccine is made from
vaccinia, a related but far less deadly, virus. While effective diagnostics,
vaccines and other means to contain an outbreak exist, for years the US and
Russia have used specious scientific arguments to thinly veil their
political determination to retain the virus.

The time has come for these stocks to be destroyed once and for all. This
may only be accomplished through the will of the World Health Assembly.

Six years ago, civil society and governments united to turn back dangerous
attempts to genetically engineer smallpox. That success led to a deeper
examination of scientific needs to retain the virus stocks, culminating in a
major review of smallpox virus research in 2010 that has been tabled this
year. This major review, conducted by WHO experts in public health,
concludes that no compelling scientific reason remains to retain the virus
samples.

In May 2011, the 64th World Health Assembly will discuss the findings of the
major review. While Russia and the United States may be expected to resist a
firm decision to destroy the virus samples, they can no longer credibly
claim any scientific basis for doing so. Continued retention of smallpox
virus samples serves no essential public health purpose, and the possibility
of their escape, amplified by the risks of unnecessary research, threatens
all countries. Indeed, the last recorded smallpox case, in 1978, was the
result of a laboratory accident.

Destroying smallpox virus stocks is not only the last step in the great
achievement of eradicating the disease; it is the single most important
thing that the international community can do to ensure that it never
appears again. By making possession of the virus a crime against humanity,
any future attempt to recreate the virus through biotechnology methods would
meet international condemnation and sanction.

Hundreds of millions of people have been killed by smallpox in its terrible
history. Well into the second half of the 20th Century, before WHO’s
Eradication Programme met success, millions of people died from smallpox
every year and tens of millions were disfigured by the disease. In the
absence of any essential public health reason to do so, no country can be
allowed to retain stocks of such a horrible disease.

Our call to you, delegates to the 64th World Health Assembly, is for you to
unequivocally terminate research with smallpox virus and to fix a prompt and
irrevocable date for the destruction of the virus stocks. In doing so, the
64th World Health Assembly can reclaim the lost mantle of WHO’s successful
1960s and 70s eradication effort, and set in motion the final chapter in
humanity’s victory over this most dreadful disease.
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