Why not destroy the remaining smallpox virus stocks?

After the declaration of world-wide smallpox eradication in 980, the World Health Assembly (WHO) has repeatedly called for estruction of all known remaining stocks of the smallpox virus [1]. fficially, only theUS andRussia have smallpox stocks, and neither, eferencing the value of their research agendas, have destroyed heir stocks. In response, WHO established an Advisory Committee n Variola Virus Research, created in 1998, to review the validity of esearch proposed using live variola virus, and tomonitor research rogress. This international committee has concluded that live varola virus is no longer necessary except to continue attempts to reate an animal model that might closely mimic human smallox, and thus assist in licensure of new generation vaccines and ntivirals [2–6]. Importantly, both the Institute of Medicine and an ndependent committee organized to review the WHO oversight ommittee’s work have reached similar conclusions [7,8]. A variety of scientific and political/ethical issues drive the arguents for keepingordestroying theofficial repositories of smallpox irus. The scientific reports referenced above have not addressed hese political and ethical issues, and their scientific recommenations bear greater scrutiny. Below we briefly comment on these ssues.