Vials labeled "Smallpox" found in Pennsylvania lab freezer have no trace of virus, CDC says
CBSN
Frozen vials labeled "Smallpox" that were discovered in a freezer at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania "contain no trace of virus known to cause smallpox," federal health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that testing showed the vials contain "vaccinia, the virus used in smallpox vaccine" and not the variola virus, which causes smallpox.
The CDC had said Monday that the vials "were incidentally discovered by a laboratory worker" who was wearing gloves and a face mask while cleaning out the freezer. The CDC said no one was exposed to the contents.
Mark O'Neill, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, told the New York Times that the vials were found at a Merck facility in Montgomery County.
