Taking the smallpox virus off death row could serve science, says a U.S. government advisory panel. The finding, released this week, could aid scientists seeking to delay the planned destruction this June of the last two research stocks of the dreaded virus.
Since it was eradicated 2 decades ago, the variola virus has been bottled up like a genie at two high-security labs in the United States and Russia. In 1993, the World Health Organization ordered the stocks destroyed to prevent future outbreaks from their accidental--or intentional--release. But some researchers say variola should be spared, particularly because it might be useful in preparing defenses against smallpox weapons. This week, the preservationists won a small victory: Although it didn't give a direct opinion on what should happen to the stocks, an Institute of Medicine panel concluded that live variola could play an "essential role" in developing new drugs and vaccines. But destruction proponents, such as D. A. Henderson of Johns Hopkins University, say the report is unconvincing.
Now it's up to President Bill Clinton--who has said White House policy will be guided by the new report--to decide what will happen to the U.S.'s smallpox cache.
