quote:

Federal health authorities on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of some frozen vials labeled "Smallpox" in a freezer at a facility in Pennsylvania that conducts vaccine research.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the vials "were incidentally discovered by a laboratory worker" who was cleaning out the freezer.

"CDC, its administration partners, and law enforcement are investigating the matter and the vials' contents appear intact," CDC spokesperson Belsie González said in an email.

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Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by one of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor.[7] The agent of variola virus (VARV) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus.[11] The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980.[10] The risk of death after contracting the disease was about 30% , with higher rates among babies.[6][12] Often those who survived had extensive scarring of their skin, and some were left blind.[6]

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says several questionable virals found at a Merck facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania did not contain variola virus, the cause of smallpox.

Officials say lab tests revealed that five vials labeled "smallpox" actually contained vaccinia, the virus used in the smallpox vaccine.

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Originally posted by Steve Miller:
A nice smallpox epidemic would make believers of a lot of anti vaxers.