Lost Viruses? - Dangerous Strains Unaccounted for in Post-War Iraq

ABC News ^ | 4/17/03

[areafiftyone]

B A G H D A D, Iraq, April 17 — Dangerous strains of cholera, black fever, HIV, polio, and hepatitis may have been lost during the post-war looting of Iraq's key disease control facility, ABCNEWS has learned. The U.S. military is worried they may be used as weapons.

In an exclusive report on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, Brian Ross revealed that scientists at Baghdad's central public health laboratory are worried that an unknown number of viruses have been stolen.

They say looters took refrigerators full of the deadly viruses Friday, but they're not sure what's actually missing. "They are in containers, all of these things taken together, cholera, AIDS and black fever," one unidentified Iraqi woman told Ross.

Ross says U.S. Marines showed up at the facility today. U.S. sources are concerned that polio and hepatitis may have been stolen, in addition to other viruses that may not be reflected in the official records in Baghdad, Ross said.

The Iraqi scientists say they have no idea who took the material. They don't know whether it was swept up in the looting rampage or taken by someone who knew what they had.

There is great concern and anger from the director of the lab about the failure of the U.S. to prevent the looting.

"The Americans shouldn't just protect Ministry of Oil, they should protect all the general public health services," the lab's director told Ross.

The written sign outside now reads in Arabic, "Stay away, extremely dangerous. Lab is polluted with viruses," Ross said. There have been no reports of illnesses yet and the greatest danger may be to the looter who took it. In the wrong hands, however, it could be considered a potent weapon.

[Diogenesis]

ABC has decided to give the IRAQI WMD INDUSTRY a possible plausible denial. It will not hold.

---

Near Baghdad, Iraq, heroic Marines secure a key bridge.
Could the wall be evidence of another Saddam/terrorist link to
Disney, ABC and Pierre Jennings? Inquiring minds want to know more.

[jgrubbs]

Did they "lower to elevated" too soon?

[areafiftyone]

From SpaceWar

WHO worried about theft of virus cultures in Iraq

The World Health Organization (WHO) is worried about thefts of incubators containing poliovirus cultures from Baghdad's central health laboratory and other thefts of viruses elsewhere in Iraq.

"This is very unlikely to cause disease, but is a serious concern because these cultures are vital for research and public health work," the WHO said in a statement Thursday.

The WHO said its office in Baghdad had been looted and torched, all its vehicles had been stolen and most of its information documents destroyed.

Some hospitals in Baghdad were working up to a point, the United Nations body said, while hospitals in the northern town of Mosul were working at 50 percent capacity.

"Most of the health centres in Mosul are also reported to have been looted and burnt, as have the department of health offices and at least some of the warehouse facilities," the WHO said.

[Dog Gone]

More than likely, the looters were after the refrigerators, not the stuff inside. They'll be in for a nasty surprise.

[fivecatsandadog]

scientists at Baghdad's central public health laboratory are worried that they've been caught holding the smoking gun.

There is great concern and anger from the director of the lab about the failure of the U.S. to prevent the looting.
"Dumb Americans - they should've installed combination locks and alarms on that pie cupboard before they attacked us." Right. It's OUR fault.

[Mike K]

So much for the msueum looting story.

[bart99]

"There is great concern and anger from the director of the lab about the failure of the U.S. to prevent the looting. "
===== ===== =====
As there was for museums and everywhere else that the Iraqis were looting. Seems we just couldn't do anything right. These people all have their agendas and concerns, some honestly so, but I sure wish they would quit blaming our soldiers for the actions of the Iraqi people, who for the first time in 25 years had a taste of freedom. Some used that freedom unwisely.

[boxerblues]

I hope ours boys still keep their chem suits handy....Saddum and his cronies still may end up winning the bio war due to ignorance of those who stole the vials

[ImphClinton]

Anything to hurt the president. These news people need to be rounded up and shot.

Honestly though. We just finnished the most amazing war in history and all these people report is we didn't have enough troups. We didn't secure everything. We didn't keep the electricity on and the water on. We didn't pick up the trash. To do everything these idiots would have wanted us to do would have taken 1,000,000 troups.

You would think they could have more stories about how countries now respct the US. North Korea now will talk with China. The people in Iraq are free. I gurantee no one will mess with us while Bush is president.

[ImpotentRage]

I agree about the chem suits, but wonder if the ones who took the vials really ARE ignorant.

[boxerblues]

I agree about the chem suits, but wonder if the ones who took the vials really ARE ignorant.

my guess would be yes! they were just looking to take anything that might make their life a little easier and to slap the regime in the face

[adam_az]

"Honestly though. We just finnished the most amazing war in history and all these people report is we didn't have enough troups."

And they loooove Clinton who halved the size of the US military.

[shamusotoole]

Further, my common sense tells me that there is reason for hope that there may not be grave harm that results from this. The power has been off for awhile and that may render these bugs harmless. We can't be certain, but we can be hopeful.

[kkindt]

Who is to say that those refrigerators had anything in them? Why not assume instead that these 'scientists' who are blabbing about this know that this bioweapon material has been secreted out to Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia - wherever the legions of Saddam have fled - they took this stuff with them. Why would they leave it behind in refrigerators?

[ladyjane]

wonder if the ones who took the vials really ARE ignorant.

The people who were running museums and research laboratories in Iraq are Saddam's people. Now all the stuff that's been stolen and sold will come to light. Of course they'll claim it's been looted.

[BagCamAddict]

To do everything these idiots would have wanted us to do would have taken 1,000,000 troups.

And then they would have been reporting on the huge numbers of friendly fire incidents, because we were tripping over ourselves.

[ex-Texan]

I believe we will soon be seeing outbreaks of many modern plagues in Iraq. Looters do not have the ability to control those viruses.

[whadizit]

"Of course they'll claim it's been looted."

A great cover for those who knew what they were taking, and why.

[FairOpinion]

More stuff that was taken by Saddam's henchmen (fedayeen & others)and spirited off to Iraq.

The scientists are just doing a "CYA".

What would they do, if they didn't have looters to blame things on?

Also -- do you recall, that Saddam had scientists take thing HOME to their residence, to hide them away. While the scientists may not have been eager to take viruses home, but considering that the alternative was to get shot immediately, they may well have done that. We should do a search of their basements and see if we find some high tech refrigeration equipment there.