Smallpox destruction postponed again

Posted by elena On Wednesday, May 25th 2011 in Health

A decision on when to eliminate the remaining stocks of live variola was postponed for three more years by the World Health Organization. The debate on the destruction of smallpox stocks has already lasted for more than two decades. The disease was eradicated some 30 years ago, but experts believe that more research is necessary to develop vaccines in case it should return.

The issue was under debate at the 64th World Health Assembly in Geneva. Officials from a total of 192 member nations took part in the annual gathering. Iran opposed a plan supported by Russia and the United Sates to delay setting a date for another five years. Iran insisted on the immediate destruction of the live variola stocks currently kept in Russia and the US. It insisted that present technology is sufficient for developing vaccines and drugs without the live virus, adding that the stocks would become dangerous if they were to fall into the wrong hands. The US responded that research is still necessary, and 27 countries supported the argument. Just 7 countries agreed with Iran's position. The debate is now to be resumed in 2014.

The smallpox issue was first discussed at the World Health Assembly in 1986. Since then, it has been the cause of heated debate. Some have supported the destruction of the stocks as the final step in the eradication of smallpox, while others have insisted on further research in case the disease should come back, perhaps in the form of a biological weapon.

Smallpox is an infectious disease, caused by the variola virus, and characterised by spots that cover the skin and often leave marks. About 30% of the people infected with the disease died. Smallpox is believed to have killed between 300 and 500 million people only in the past century. The World Health Organization confirmed the eradication of the disease in 1979, but stocks of live variola are still kept in Russia and the United Sates.

The smallpox issue was the most delicate on the agenda of this year's World Health Assembly, as the debate began last week and continued until Monday evening. During the assembly, 28 resolutions on various other issues were adopted, as well as three decisions on future efforts. They included an agreement on sharing virus samples in case of a flu pandemic, which Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization described as a "triumph for health diplomacy".