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Russia: Should we worry after the explosion of a laboratory containing smallpox and Ebola?
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Manon Aublanc
Posted on 18/09/19 at 18h53 - Updated on 18/09/19 at 18h53
An explosion and a fire hit Monday in Russia, a center for research on viruses and biotechnology, called "Vektor".
The building is one of only two structures in the world containing the smallpox virus.
The Russian authorities on Tuesday denied any threat of contamination, explaining that no dangerous substances were present in the parts that were affected by the accident.
Absolutely no danger according to Moscow. An explosion and a fire took place on Monday in Russia, at a research center on viruses and biotechnology, one of only two structures in the world containing the smallpox virus, officially eradicated in 1977.
If the authorities have denied on Tuesday, any threat of contamination, the incident occurred in a highly sensitive building worried. Is there a risk of virus leakage? 20 Minutes takes stock of this case.
What happened ?
On Monday, an explosion and a fire took place in "Vektor", a Russian research center in virology and biotechnology, located in Koltsovo, near Novosibirsk (Western Siberia), the third most populous city in Russia with more than 1, 5 million inhabitants. According to the health monitoring agency Rospotrebnadzor, the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder and caused a fire in the premises, injuring the employees. If several windows were broken, the structure of the building was not affected, added the authorities, noting that no dangerous substance had escaped.
What is this lab working on?
"Historically, it's a biological weapons laboratory that dates back to Soviet times. It is supposed to be closed and have been rehabilitated to do vaccine research, but we do not know much, "says Fr?d?ric Tangy, researcher and virologist at the CNRS and the Institut Pasteur. Becoming a Russian research center in virology, "this laboratory has been approved to be one of only two laboratories in the world, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta (USA), to hold the virus of smallpox, "says the researcher.
"It's complicated to say how this lab works today and to know exactly the nature of their activities. The only thing that is certain is the part dedicated to the smallpox virus, managed by the WHO, "explains Herv? Raoul, director of the P4 Inserm Jean M?rieux laboratory in Lyon. "The activities around smallpox are extremely framed within the framework of international agreements on this subject. This laboratory has a mission of archiving, there is no research strictly speaking. WHO continues to carry out control visits every year, "he adds. "In addition to smallpox, the laboratory holds especially Ebola, HIV or anthrax," says Fr?d?rique Tangy. Herv? Raoul, him, is "not sure that someone knows precisely the projects and the viruses on which the Russians work".
What are the potential dangers?
For Fr?d?ric Tangy, the danger "depends on the location of the fire": "If it explodes in a garage, there is no danger, but if it explodes next to a freezer that holds the smallpox virus it can contaminate the air. "The virus is kept at -80 degrees, so the tubes should be defrosted for contamination," he says.
"A fire that affects areas where the virus is present is almost good news, it will destroy pathogens. If it impacts an area where you have facilities dedicated to the safety of the laboratory, it can be more annoying, but it is not inevitably catastrophic, "says Herv? Raoul, who believes" that there is no risk major and that the chances of contamination are unlikely.
What will happen in case of contamination?
But if one of the sensitive sites was touched, the first precaution, "it is first to carry out a vaccination" ring, that is to say the people of the laboratory, then their relatives, the whole village , and finally the cities around, "says Frederic Tangy, adding that it is thanks to this method that smallpox was eradicated in 1977.
This is one of the dangers of the incident, according to the researcher: "The current world population is no longer vaccinated, because it is considered that the virus is completely eradicated. But if it comes back, the population is not protected. For the virologist, the only risk is that someone, who has been contaminated, takes the plane by being infected. "Nobody knows, no one checks because the virus is supposed to be eradicated. The person could then transmit the virus, which spreads very quickly. "
Is this an isolated incident?
The "Vektor" laboratory is not the only Russian sensitive site to have been the scene of an incident. In early June, three explosions in explosives factories and ammunition depots in central and southern Russia and Siberia caused dozens of injuries. In early July, 14 Russian Navy officers died in a fire aboard a mysterious nuclear-powered submarine in the Far North. Keeping much of the tragedy secret, the authorities assured that the nuclear reactor was not affected by the fire.
In August, a nuclear-related explosion killed at least five people on a missile base in the Far North when testing new weapons. It has led to a brief rise in radioactivity, according to the authorities. "In Russia, accidents are more and more common on sensitive sites. In this country, measures are not taken in the minute, infrastructures do not always work very well. For an accident to happen in a laboratory like this one, it means that it is badly managed and that there are big security flaws ", concludes Fr?d?ric Tangy.
https://www.20minutes.fr/monde/2607...xplosion-laboratoire-renfermant-variole-ebola
