[Mb-civic] CBC News - DESTROY MISLABELLED PANDEMIC FLU SAMPLES, WHO TELLS LABS

Wed Apr 13 04:45:30 PDT 2005

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DESTROY MISLABELLED PANDEMIC FLU SAMPLES, WHO TELLS LABS
WebPosted Tue Apr 12 18:41:59 2005

Ottawa---Canadian scientists were the first to spot a pandemic flu strain
that was mistakenly sent to labs in 18 countries, sparking the World
Health Organization to issue an urgent recall Tuesday.

A U.S. company sent mislabelled samples of the H2N2 influenza that
triggered a pandemic in 1957 to nearly 5,000 labs worldwide, as part of a
routine testing program.

Since the strain hasn't infected humans since 1969 and it is not included
in flu shots, people under the age of 37 have no immunity to H2N2.

Although the risk of a laboratory accident causing a pandemic was low,
WHO urged scientists to immediately destroy the materials.

"A large number of labs got it and if someone does get infected, the risk
of severe illness is high and this virus has shown to be fully
transmissible," WHO's influenza chief, Dr. Klaus Stohr, told The
Associated Press.

All 20 Canadian laboratories that received the mislabelled material have
destroyed it, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Tuesday.

On March 26, Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory detected the
mislabelled samples, potentially averting a global problem by
notifying WHO.

Laboratories worldwide use the test kits as part of their internal
quality control checks, to ensure they are identifying viruses correctly.

The College of American Pathologists also uses the kits to test
scientists seeking certification. Within 24 hours, scientists worldwide
are to confirm the specimens were destroyed by reporting to the College,
the WHO alert said.

Lab workers who worked with the material will be monitored, and anyone
showing respiratory illness will be tested for H2N2, the Canadian agency
said in response to the WHO directive.

Almost 99 per cent of the labs that received the kits are in the U.S.,
Stohr said.

Bioterrorism is not suspected, said Dr. Nancy Cox, influenza chief at the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.