Federal officials were alerted that the vials were found by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in the facility<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, Nov. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There was no smallpox virus in frozen vials recently discovered at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Instead of the variola virus that causes smallpox, lab tests showed that the vials contained vaccinia, the virus used in smallpox vaccine, according to the agency.<\/p>\n
On Nov. 15, federal officials were alerted that the vials were found by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in the facility. The vials were sent on Nov. 18 to the CDC.<\/p>\n
“On November 15, 2021, the U.S. Government was notified of the report of a small number of intact, frozen vials labeled ‘smallpox’ discovered by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research in Pennsylvania,” the CDC said in a statement. “The freezer facility was immediately secured and staff followed standard protocols for notifying CDC of such a potential discovery. The vials were sent securely to CDC for testing on November 18 to determine what they contained. No one was exposed to contents of the vials.”
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