Hundreds of vials of DEADLY viruses have gone missing from a laboratory - and scientists warn they could be 'weaponised'
Hundreds of vials of DEADLY viruses have gone missing from a laboratory - and scientists warn they could be 'weaponised'
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Hundreds of deadly virus samples have vanished from an Australian lab in a 'major breach' of biosecurity. Yesterday, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls has announced that 323 vials of live viruses are now unaccounted for. These include nearly 100 vials of hendra virus, two vials of hantavirus, and 223 vials of lyssavirus - all of which are extremely deadly for humans.
![[Queensland health minister Tim Nicholls (pictured) revealed that the samples had been lost in 2021 but that their disappearance was not discovered until August 2023]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/10/92990017-14172087-image-a-4_1733827016617.jpg)
Queensland authorities insist that while the samples could be weaponised, this is 'not something an amateur does'. The samples went missing in 2021 but investigators only confirmed the breach in August 2023. It is believed that the vials of deadly viruses were lost by Queensland's Public Health Virology Laboratory when the freezer they were being stored in broke down.
![[The samples include 100 vials of hendra virus (pictured) a deadly virus which infects horses and humans and has a mortality rate of 57 per cent]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/10/92990015-14172087-image-a-6_1733827040359.jpg)
Speaking at a press conference, Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said: 'It's this part of the transfer of those materials that is causing concern. 'They were transferred to a functioning freezer without the appropriate paperwork being completed. The materials may have been removed from that secure storage and lost, or otherwise unaccounted-for.'.
![[Queensland's chief health officer John Gerrard (pictured) said there was no evidence the samples had been stolen or weaponised. He claims it is more likely that the samples were simply lost while being transferred between freezers]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/10/92941847-14172087-image-a-7_1733827057894.jpg)
Scientists at a virus lab in Australia have lost over 300 samples of deadly viruses in a 'major breach' of biosecurity (stock image). Queensland health minister Tim Nicholls (pictured) revealed that the samples had been lost in 2021 but that their disappearance was not discovered until August 2023.
![[There have been no infections related to the three strains of viruses lost by the lab. However, there is currently no indication where the 323 vials of viruses might be (stock image)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/10/92990009-14172087-image-a-8_1733827070730.jpg)
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